


Apparitions

by TalkMagically



Category: NCIS
Genre: Drama, Gen, Paranormal, Supernatural Elements, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2018-08-10 14:56:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 45,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7849531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalkMagically/pseuds/TalkMagically
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One phone call. That's all it took for Tim's life to be over. One, single phone call. Why didn't he go out into the field with the others?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Event One

When Tim's eyes popped open the time 3:41 AM glared back at him in neon red. He wasn't due to wake up for another hour and a half. Confused, Tim sat up and listened to the sounds of his apartment. The refrigerator clicked on to continue keeping its contents cool, the clock in his sitting area ticked the seconds away, and Jethro snored through his little doggie dreams on his own bed in the corner of Tim's bedroom. Not a single sound was out of place. Not hearing anything that would indicate there was an intruder, especially since Jethro was still asleep, Tim threw his blankets aside and got up. Something was bugging him and he just couldn't figure out what.

The sitting area just outside his bedroom was a nice addition to the new apartment Tim had moved into a couple months previous. It got Tony off his ass to get a proper living room set up for whenever he would have guests over. The pillow and folded blanket set under one of the side tables showed that Sarah had already claimed his new couch as her bed for when she stayed a night or two. All and all, the set up and neatness just screamed Tim's decorating style. But other than the laptop he had left on his coffee table when he got home from work, Tim didn't see anything that would give him the nagging feeling he had in the back of his skull that something was out of place. A walk around the apartment garnered the same results.

Returning to the sitting room, Tim sat in one of the chairs and stared at the ticking clock. Both it and the table it sat on were house warming presents from Ziva and Gibbs, respectively. The antique timekeeper was an acknowledgment to Tim's strange attraction to old fashioned things despite his very modern lifestyle. The table, to no one's surprise, was hand made. Both were very beautiful gifts that earned a place of honor in the sitting room, opposite the apartment entryway.

The time on the clock face didn't register in Tim's mind until said clock started ringing the top of the hour, making him jump. It was now four AM. Groaning quietly, knowing he wasn't going to figure out what was wrong, Tim stood up to head back to bed for another hour. Seeing movement in the corner of his eye Tim turned to see what it was, only to let out a yelp of surprise and fall to the floor as he spun around too quickly. Nearly instantaneously, Jethro was awake and out of the bedroom. Tim batted Jethro away as the dog licked at his face frantically, looking back and forth between the space that had been behind him and the mirror on the wall in which he had seen the movement with wide eyes.

"I could have sworn..." Tim breathed out. Slowly standing back up he cautiously looked in the mirror again. Only his own reflection looked back this time. Letting out a sigh of irritation at his own foolishness, Tim ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "Come on, Jethro. Back to bed." Patting his leg to beckon the now wide-awake dog, Tim turned on his heel and walked back into his bedroom. Jethro quickly followed before Tim closed the bedroom door behind him. With a yawn Tim collapsed onto his bed and pulled his blankets up to cover himself.

Back in the sitting room, Tim's reflection remained in the mirror.


	2. Event Two

"Special Agent McGee." Tim cradled the phone between his right ear and shoulder as he continued to type up a report on his computer. The incident from early that morning was long forgotten.

" _Agent McGee? I'm Special Agent Adrian Fisher. I'm with the FBI._ " Tim held in a snort at the formal tone.

"How can I help you, Agent Fisher? It's not often I get calls directly. You guys mostly go through Gibbs or DiNozzo." Tim asked with half his attention.

" _Is the rest of your team there?_ "

"Not currently. They're following up a possible lead for a cold case of ours. Unfortunately it required them to go out on a ship so I had to remain behind. I am more useful here at the Yard than out on a ship, constantly getting sea sick." Tim hit save on his report before bringing up the search program he had running for Tony.

" _Good. Th...wait, what? You get sea sick and yet you work for NCIS?_ " Tim really did let out a snort this time. It was always fun to throw agents from other agencies through a loop.

"It's a long story, Agent Fisher, that I have a feeling neither of us have time for me to tell. What was it that you needed?" It took a few seconds for Fisher to regain his composure on the other end of the line.

" _Good. That means you can speak freely._ " Tim paused mid-word in his typing.

"Yes..." He confirmed hesitantly.

" _Agent McGee, I'm with a task force directed to work on the on-going mafia problem on the east coast. Do you know about us?_ "

"Yes, I've heard of you. I've actually worked with you all quite extensively. I came in as a consult during the O'Shea raid just last month." Tim turned his full attention to the conversation. If they needed more help they would have sent the request via email. The fact that one of them was calling wasn't good news.

" _I know. An ally family of the O'Shea's, the Lambert's, unfortunately also know this. They've ordered a hit on your head._ " The rest of the world went quiet as Tim's heart seemed to stop beating.

"Is that right?" He croaked out rhetorically. Of course it was correct. The FBI wouldn't joke about something like that.

" _Yes, Agent McGee. You are one of only five agents who have been privy to every branch of this operation. Along with your status as a white hat hacker and participation in multiple projects that affect national security, you can understand why their request includes that you are to be captured alive if possible. Our primary concern here at the Bureau is not only to keep you alive but also out of their hands._ " Tim's head dropped down in resignation. He ran his free hand through his hair as he processed the situation that was suddenly thrust in his lap. Tim suddenly wished the others would return from their trip already.

"Wha...what do you guys have in mind?"

" _Call one of your team mates. Say you are going to double check some information from your case. List off some place that may take you a little while to investigate. Then simply leave and come to the Hoover Building._ " Confusion popped up in Tim's mind for a few seconds before he realized what Agent Fisher was suggesting.

"You...you want me to go into witness protection?" He asked incredulously, keeping his voice low so anybody passing by didn't hear him. Fisher's tone changed from formal to understanding.

" _We've already started the process, actually. Your security cameras are currently experiencing some issues at the moment. There will be no visual or audio record of your half of this conversation._ " Tim's head snapped back up to look at the camera across the room that looked him straight on. The red light was off. The technicians at the FBI managed to get past the fire wall he installed in the Yard's security system.

"Agent Fisher, I can't just suddenly drop everything and disappear. My team mates will know something is up."

" _Not if they think you're dead._ " That hit Tim like a blow to the stomach.

"What?" He hissed.

" _Agent McGee, when you arrive we'll commandeer your vehicle and stage for an 'accident' to happen. They'll find your car at the bottom of the Potomac, evidence that you were in the car when it went in, but they won't find you. The ice cover on the river will keep them from doing a proper search for your body until Spring, by which time you'll be expected to have been washed into the Atlantic._ "

"You just have everything covered, don't you Agent Fisher?" Tim asked sarcastically as he took a few deep breaths, pinching the bridge of his nose.

" _Yes, we do, Agent McGee. Now call your team mates on your cell and tell them you'll be leaving the Yard. I'll remain on the line._ " Tim swallowed hard when the taste of bile crept up his throat. He realized that he couldn't argue this. It was decided for him the moment that hit was placed. Tim set the phone to lay on his desk while he pulled out his cell and dialed Tony. It didn't take long for his partner to answer.

" _Probie-wan Kenobi! It's like you're_ psychic. _I was just about to call you for an update on that search I asked you to do._ " Tim let out a laugh as tears suddenly formed in his eyes. This was the last he was going to hear from anyone on the team. He was glad it was Tony.

"That's actually part of the reason why I called. I still haven't found anything new. The search could take a while to finish with all the extra details I'm having it do so you guys may be back by the time it finishes."

" _Darn. Alright, no biggie. We're not getting far with the crew here but Gibbs wants us stay through lunch. We'll be back around two._ " Tim's eyes flew to the time on his computer. Nearly noon. His car will most likely be at the bottom of the Potomac by then. " _What was the other thing you were calling about? Did Abby sneak in and you're calling to tattle on her?_ "

"No, Abby is still at home with the flu. Even she wouldn't risk spreading those germs. No, I'm calling to say that I'm gonna go cross check some of our information with public records while I have the time. A paper trail is harder to erase than a virtual one."

" _Right on. I understand why you called me instead of Gibbs, then. He wouldn't understand the difference. And hey, you just gave me an idea. Ziva!_ " Tim could hear Tony pull his cell away from his ear and yell at their third team member to go check the paper records that were held on the ship. He wiped away the few tears falling down his face as Ziva's normally melodious voice screeched back at Tony in their normal banter fashion before Tony returned to the phone conversation. " _Good idea there, McSneaky. If we find anything new it'll be in the paper trail. That all?_ "

"Yep. The update on your search and to tell you that I may not be here when you get back. Lord only knows how many boxes I'll have to search through." Tim smiled slightly as Tony groaned at the thought.

" _I certainly don't envy you. Well, talk to you later, Probie._ "

"Talk to you later, Tony." Tim said good bye with the most ironic farewell ever and now he was suddenly thinking of all the things he never got to tell any of the others.

" _Oh, and Tim?_ " Tony cut off his train of thought.

"Yeah?"

" _Be careful driving on those roads, ok? I hit a patch of black ice on the way to work this morning and nearly drove my way into a tree, even with the roads salted. So drive even more grandmotherly than you usually do. Got it?_ " Tony's voice was filled with concern that the boisterous man rarely showed, telling Tim that Tony was serious about him being careful. It was the same tone Tim always used when he was telling Sarah to be careful. The one an older brother used on his younger sibling.

"Yeah, Tony, I got it. Bye." Tim barely managed to get out with a tone of mock-irritation at Tony's crack about his driving.

" _Bye_." With that single word, Tim's final connection to his team members was cut off. It took every fiber of his being to set his cell phone down and pick up his desk phone.

"It's done, Agent Fisher. They won't be surprised if I'm not here when they get back around two." Tim reported.

" _That's good, Agent McGee. Now hang up, collect your things as usual, and come here. Agent Rocco will be waiting for you at the main entrance._ " Tim hung up as ordered, glad to finally cut off that particular conversation. Eying the still dormant security camera he stood up and started preparing to leave the Yard. With his badge, gun, and cellphone in place and his winter coat tightly wrapped around him, Tim plucked his car keys from his desk drawer and headed to the elevator.

A few minutes later, Tim sat in his car staring up at the office building a short distance out of the parking lot. He had worked his ass off to get here. Survived FLETC and endured heckling at Norfolk, all to get what he had here at the Navy Yard. A place on the top MCRT in the agency. All it took was the ring of a phone to take it away from him. Shaking his head at the unfairness of it all, Tim thought back to the phone conversation he had with Tony not ten minutes previous. ' _Be careful driving on those roads, ok?_ ' A sob erupted from his throat as Tim finally let the tears escape his eyes. It was almost like the cosmos were mocking him. Tim knew that once the others were told about his car being identified as the one that crashed into the Potomac Tony would think back to that very sentence.

It was almost cruel to call Tony, now that Tim thought about it. The man had turned into a brother to him in any way that mattered, had even spent time with him and Sarah during their off weekends. It was obvious to everyone at the Yard, even Jimmy, that Tony was slowly breaking away from Gibbs and was connecting to Tim. The two of them had survived a lot together. Kate's death, the hunt for Ari, Gibbs leaving, Gibbs returning, Sheppard's death, the team being broken up, Ziva leaving, Ziva's 'death' and her rescue. Tim had even told Tony that the only agent he would ever be the Senior Field Agent for was Tony, himself. So to make Tony think that he was the last person Tim spoke with before the 'accident' had to be beyond cruel. But Tim wanted to hear his 'brother's' voice one last time. Growling in anger at the situation, Tim restarted his car and continued on to the Hoover Building. He made it a point not to look back.

* * *

"Come on, Probie. Checking public records, even by yourself, shouldn't take this long." Tony glanced at his watch again, biting his lip. It was now nearly five PM. McGee's search engine still hadn't garnered any new results so Gibbs hadn't said anything about his absence yet but it was obvious that Gibbs was getting restless.

"Have you tried to call him, Tony?" Ziva asked without looking up from her computer.

"Yes, Zee-va." Tony replied sarcastically. "But he hasn't answered. And he won't until he's done because all the paper copies of public records are stored in the _basement_ of the office building. He's not going to get a signal down there."

"It was just a question." Ziva hissed back. Rolling his eyes, Tony spun his chair so he could face the television screen and turned it on to check the weather. If things looked like they were going to get bad he was going to go collect McGee, himself.

" _That's right, Aaron! We've lucked out. No more snow due until the end of the week. But Mother Nature seems to be making up for it by dropping the temperature down a few more degrees than what we've been experiencing. It's not too much of a drop to worry about but you may want to add an extra layer when you're bundling up."_

_"We'll be sure to do that. Thanks, Danika. Now, viewers, we're just getting word from a reporter on the street that Metro is currently in the middle of fishing a car out of the Potomac. It apparently lost control on a patch of black ice while crossing over and slammed through the side barrier some time around noon. Only recently have they managed to find the car on the bottom of the river and got the necessary equipment to pull it out. There is no news about the driver. Care to add to that, Ian?_ " Ziva pulled away from her computer to watch with Tony, both of them mildly surprised that a car could break through the side barrier on a bridge. The view on the television switched from the station studio to a field reporter standing on the bank of the Potomac with police and rescue officers working in the background around a large hole in the ice.

" _There isn't anything to add to that at this moment, Aaron. Like you said, not much is known about the car or the driver. Police aren't giving up much information at this time. And wait, wait, wait. It looks like they have finally got the car to the surface._ " The reporter turned to face the rescue workers, the camera man panning to put more focus on the rescue effort. A shiny silver was the first eye-catching detail of the car to show. " _Aaron, it looks like the car is a Porsche Boxster. Not a car you want to lose in an accident like this._ "

All the color in Tony's face drained away as he watched the Porsche be lifted higher and higher by the crane before eventually being set on the bridge just next to the gap it caused in the barrier. Ziva remained expressionless, refusing to react until they found out the identity of the driver. Neither noticed Fornell and Sacks exit the elevator behind them.

" _Ok, Officer Miller was kind enough to join us here. Officer, is there anything you can tell us about the accident?_ " The reporter turned his attention to the burly man in uniform next to him.

" _I am unable to divulge any information about the driver at this time, but I can confirm that the driver was in the vehicle when it entered the water. Divers reported that the driver's side window was smashed from the inside and that the driver's side seat belt was cut in a deliberate fashion, most likely in response to the buckling mechanism being crushed and unable to function. There is, however, no evidence to suggest that the driver made it out of the water._ " Gibbs had since entered the Bull Pen from the other elevator, giving Fornell a look before turning his attention to the screen that had Tony and Ziva so captivated. He recognized the car as the same type that McGee drove.

"What they're failing to report is that the divers brought up the few personal items they found in the car." Fornell spoke up. Tony and Ziva jumped, spinning around to face the FBI agents. Gibbs' rose an eyebrow in question but it was Tony who actually responded.

"What are you talking about, Fornell? How would you know anything about it?" The older agent tossed a plastic evidence bag at Tony who promptly caught it before it hit his face.

"We were called in when they found that." Tony turned his attention to the bag and came face to face with a hunk of gold colored metal and a white rectangle. Tony felt like he had taken a dunk in the Potomac, himself, when he recognized what he was looking at. McGee's photo and badge number glimmered at him almost innocently beneath the plastic.

"No." He immediately snapped in denial, tossing the bag back at Fornell. "No way in hell."

"What is it?" Ziva asked. Tony just shook his head, not removing his eyes from the FBI agent before him. His fists clenched as he tried to maintain composure. He refused to believe that he had just watched his best friend's car, his _brother's_ car, be fished out of the Potomac. Fornell sighed as he made the few steps to hand the bag to Gibbs.

"McGee's cell phone, badge, ID, and weapon were retrieved from the vehicle an hour ago. When it became clear that a federal agent was involved in the accident Metro was more than happy to hand it over to us. We went to the scene to confirm their findings before coming here to...to break the news in person." Fornell faltered slightly. Both he and Sacks were visibly broken up about the news they were delivering. Tim was well liked through out the various agencies, even by those that butted heads with NCIS. He just had that type of personality.

"McGee never made it out of the river." Sacks finished for Fornell when it became clear the older man couldn't speak any more. The room went silent as those working near by, gossiping about the accident, put two and two together when they overheard Sacks and realized that _McGee_ was the driver. Sacks shook his head as he turned his focus on Tony, knowing who would be affected by this the most. "I am so sorry, DiNozzo."

"No!" Tony snapped, returning to his desk and snatching his phone. A glance at his note pad had him dialing the public records office. After a few rings an elderly sounding woman answered. "Hello, this is Special Agent Tony DiNozzo with NCIS."

" _Hello, Agent DiNozzo. How could I help you?_ " The woman asked pleasantly. Having federal agents call seemed to be pretty normal for her.

"I was wondering if you could tell me when my partner, Special Agent Timothy McGee, arrived. He was going to check over some information for a case of ours and he hasn't returned yet. He loses track of the time pretty often." Tony's free hand began to rub at his temple as he desperately wished for her to confirm that Tim was searching away in the basement.

" _Hmmm...our check in list for today includes a couple agents but none of them are named Timothy McGee. Was this the first place your partner planned on visiting today?_ "

"Just there." Tony replied with the beginnings of a frown. "Thanks for your help, ma'am. There is one other place he could have meant. He probably went there."

" _Well, I hope you find him! Have a nice evening, Agent DiNozzo._ " Tony's phone entered its cradle with a small click as he hung up.

"Is there any hope of retrieving his body?" Gibbs finally spoke up, eying Tony as the younger man leaned forward onto his desk with his head in his hands.

"Not until Spring, Jethro." Fornell answered. "It's especially cold this Winter. With the river frozen over, the rescue and recovery crew can't access enough of the river to properly look for him."

"Surely there is some way to look for him." Ziva insisted.

"There isn't, Zee." Tony whispered before either of the FBI agents could answer her. He hadn't even lifted his head. "The water is too cold for them to stay in it long enough to possibly find him. We...we had something similar happen in Baltimore. The...the body was never found."

Ziva's face finally started to drain of color as the reality of the situation sank in for her, the desert rat of the team. She reached for Tony's desk to lean on it, losing the ability to stand upright. Gibbs lightly turned the bag in his hands over and over to look at its contents. Four waterlogged items summed up the last moments of Timothy McGee's life.

"When do you plan on telling his sister?" Gibbs asked Fornell. Sarah would be devastated.

"Considering that it's McGee we're talking about, Jethro, it's probably best you do it. She won't appreciate the news coming from someone she doesn't know."

"I'll do it." Tony finally lifted his head, tear streaks clear on his face. New ones formed as fast as he could wipe them away. "Sarah...she's expecting me, tonight. She's expecting me and McGee. We are... _were_ going to be helping her move from her dorm to an apartment off campus. I guess those plans are changing..."

"Tony, are you sure...?" Ziva started to ask.

"I am." He interrupted quickly. "I made a promise. Tim asked me to take care of Sarah should anything happen to him and I promised I would. I should be the one to tell her."

The others watched on with solemn looks on their faces as Ziva reached out with her free hand to lightly grab Tony's shoulder. After swallowing hard he finally looked up at her, both sets of eyes glimmering in the florescence lighting. It was plain to see that Ziva wanted to reach out with both hands, but needed the one to keep herself upright.

"We _both_ will watch over Sarah." Ziva insisted. "Mc...Tim was the first one to welcome me to the US, despite how I came to be here. I owe him. _Both_ of us will take care of her."

Tony nodded lightly, afraid to verbalize anything lest he completely break down. Gibbs set the evidence bag of McGee's things down on McGee's desk, where they rightfully belonged, and motioned to Fornell and Sacks to follow him up to the Director's office. As he lead the way up the steps he slowly counted down in his head. By the time the three of them reached the top, and Gibbs had reached one, dual sobs echoed up from behind them. Gibbs paused to look back, just in time to see Ziva forgo holding herself up and throw herself into Tony's expectant arms as the two of them finally let themselves be overwhelmed by their emotions. Other agents in the area remained silent, the scene in front of them a rare sight and one to be taken seriously. Clenching his fists closed, Gibbs turned away from his two remaining agents – a thought he mentally head slapped himself for accepting so quickly – and continued to lead the way to Vance's office.

Hidden beneath the sorrowful sound of Tony and Ziva's mourning, an unheard whisper came from McGee's work area. "Everything will be OK. You'll see..."


	3. Event Three

Vance looked up, hiding his surprise at seeing Gibbs enter his office with Fornell and Sacks closely behind him.

"I was not aware there was an FBI connection with your latest case, Gibbs." Vance got to the point, knowing that pointing out closed doors usually meant one was supposed to knock before entering would fall on deaf ears.

"There isn't." Gibbs corrected in an odd tone which made Vance pause. In the entire time he has known the man, Vance had never heard Gibbs use that _tone_ before. He was having trouble identifying just what type of tone it was. Fornell eyed Gibbs worriedly, making the unease in Vance's gut grow. Looking at Sacks' expression told him that whatever news these three men had was not good.

"What happened?" Came out of Vance's mouth before he realized he was saying it. Gibbs opened his mouth to say something, only to hesitate and close it. After a few seconds he opened it again.

"Metro fished McGee's car out of the Potomac just a little while ago." Gibbs' silence after that statement said more to Vance than what he actually said. McGee's _car_ was fished out. Not McGee, himself. If they hadn't pulled out McGee already then they wouldn't be. Vance's eyes turned to Fornell to get more information before saying anything.

"The FBI was called in when the divers discovered a federal agent's badge and weapon, sir. We were selected to go when dispatch informed the Bureau of the name on the badge." Fornell reported succinctly. Vance nodded in acknowledgment before turning back to Gibbs.

"DiNozzo and David?"

"Should probably be sent home. Tony has taken over the responsibility of informing Tim's sister. Ziva will most likely go with him. Abby, Ducky, and Palmer still need to be told." Vance nodded, inhaling sharply as he forced himself to hold off his emotional reaction to the news. Out of everyone on Gibbs' team, McGee was the last one anyone would have expected to die. And to have him die from an accident, not in the line of duty...

"I will transfer your case over to Balboa's team. Consider your team on leave until further notice. Extend that to Miss Sciuto, Dr. Mallard, and Mr. Palmer. I will inform their substitutes that their services will be required for an undetermined amount of time." Gibbs gave a curt nod before turning and leading the two FBI agents out of the room. For the first time since he became Director, Vance was finally witnessing Gibbs be off kilter and he despised it.

* * *

"Perhaps we shall go and see how the others are doing before we leave, Mr. Palmer. They could always use a gentle reminder that they are human and need to eat." Jimmy let out a small snort of amusement as he shared a smile with Ducky.

"Yeah, if Tony's growling stomach doesn't tell them first." Both men laughed as they entered the elevator, Ducky pressing the button for the floor the Bull Pen was on. They chattered about different theories they had come up with while doing an autopsy earlier that day as the metal box lifted them to where they wanted to go. The doors opened just as Jimmy started to laugh at a small joke Ducky had made but he immediately stopped when loud sobs reached the two of them. Looking at each other with worry, Ducky hurriedly lead the way to the MCRT work area. They froze at the sight of Ziva on Tony's lap, both of them holding each other tightly as they sobbed on each other's shoulders. Jimmy looked around, wondering where McGee was, when he noticed the evidence bag that was set on McGee's desk. He picked it up with a frown while Ducky focused on Gibbs coming down the stairs with Fornell and Sacks. Jimmy's face went as pale as the woman he helped autopsy earlier when he read McGee's waterlogged ID. The fact that it was in an evidence bag was not lost on him.

"Jethro, what has happened?" Ducky asked as soon as Gibbs was in conversation's distance, oblivious to what his assistant had discovered behind him. Gibbs glanced at Tony and Ziva before answering, dreading it. The two of them would have a hard enough time informing Tim's family, though, so he needed to be the one to tell the others. Turning back to Ducky Gibbs saw that Jimmy had already realized what had happened despite not having the details.

"McGee was in an accident. Crashed into the Potomac. Metro was only able to recover his car and possessions." Ducky's hand flew to his chest in surprise, having expected something much different. And it certainly explained why both Tony and Ziva had reacted so emotionally, so quickly.

"My goodness, Jethro! Does...does young Abigail know yet?" Gibbs shook his head slowly.

"I'm gonna tell her in person. The case is being handed over to Balboa. Team's on leave until further notice. Vance has extended that to you, Abby, and Palmer as well, Duck."

"I'm sure...Young Abigail will be in dire need of your support, Jethro. I suggest you do not allow her to be alone for some time." Ducky fretted, not willing to focus on his own emotional needs at the moment. "And Sarah?"

"Tony and Ziva." Gibbs replied succinctly, his eyes wandering back to his agents. It appeared Tony had reached his emotional peak and was now just clinging to Ziva silently with his face buried in the crook of her neck. Ziva was still shuddering with sobs that were also beginning to quiet down as each passing sob pulled more and more energy from her reserves.

"Very well. Mr. Palmer..." Ducky turned around to address Jimmy, finally seeing the evidence bag with McGee's things in it. Ducky paused, not entirely sure how to react to seeing what Metro had retrieved from McGee's car, and stumbled over his next words. "I'm...we...a task list should be done up for our substitutes so they know what we've yet to do for the open cases we're working on."

"Right away, Doctor." Jimmy replied quietly as he set the bag back onto McGee's desk. Opening his mouth to say something else, Jimmy thought over it again and quickly shut his mouth before heading back to the rear elevator.

"Jethro, Sacks and I should head back to the scene." Fornell butted in to give Gibbs something new to focus on. "They'll need to know where to take McGee's car. Would you like it brought here or should we send it to the Hoover Building?"

"Here." Gibbs swallowed hard. "Just...just to make sure someone didn't mess with his car and purposely caused the accident."

"Ok, Jethro. We'll do that." Fornell awkwardly patted Gibbs on the shoulder, not knowing what else to say, before turning away and herding Sacks to the elevator.

"I am going to go assist Mr. Palmer downstairs before I leave, Jethro. I will stop by your house later tonight, assuming that you will be bringing Abigail there." Gibbs nodded in confirmation at Ducky's assumption. Ducky gave Tony and Ziva one last worried glance before going off to help Jimmy.

Gibbs stood in the middle of the Bull Pen feeling numb. When Kate died he had something to do, something to focus on. He had someone to blame. That wasn't the case this time. Nothing to do except accept that the desk across from his would remain empty for the rest of the day, and tomorrow, and the next day. He always braced himself at the beginning of each case for the possibility that Tony or Ziva might get injured or even killed when he sent them out. Those two were always taking risks to take down a suspect. It never occurred to him to overly worry about McGee, who made safety instructors look like Evel Knievel. That the goddamn _weather_ is what took his agent away...never in his wildest dreams would he have thought of that scenario.

The natural noise of the Bull Pen started to go back to its usual volume as Gibbs slowly made his way to his desk, the other agents forcing themselves to get back to work. Ziva's sobs could no longer be heard and she had gone still. Gibbs watched as Tony slowly detached himself from the Israeli woman in his lap and transferred her to his chair with great care while remaining silent. The usually gregarious man's face was completely blank of any emotion, which worried Gibbs, but the older man did nothing as his Senior Agent left the Bull Pen in the direction of the nearest men's room. Turning back to Ziva, Gibbs could barely believe that the woman who had curled herself into a ball on Tony's chair was the same one who normally threatened her teammates with office supplies and amused them with fuddled idioms. He was dreading informing Abby that she wasn't going to ever see her geek again. Deciding to grab the bull by the horns, Gibbs stood back up and collected his things. He walked over to Tony's desk just as the man was returning, himself, and looked back and forth between his two agents.

"My place, after you tell Sarah. It's not an option." They both nodded solemnly at the order. Confident that Tony and Ziva would make their way to Sarah at the quickest pace they could afford to make themselves to go, Gibbs headed to the main elevator.

* * *

"Gibbs!" Abby greeted happily in a nasally tone. She was in a simple, oversized black shirt and pink pajama pants patterned with bats. Her hair was down and her face was free of make-up, a tad pink with the slight fever she had from the flu. Except for the bats on her pants, not a thing about her visually alluded to the perky Goth she usually was. "What brings you here? Aren't you guys in the middle of a case?"

"We were." Gibbs answered as he stepped into Abby's apartment at her beckoning so she could close the door and stop the cold air from sneaking in.

"Oh, you finished already? Another win for Team Gibbs, then!" She exclaimed as she lead the way into her living room, collapsing back onto her couch while Gibbs remained standing. When Gibbs didn't say anything, Abby looked up at him and finally registered the look on his face. Her smile melted away to a frown as her brain tried to figure out what could possibly be wrong. "What happened?"

"There was an accident."

"What do you mean, accident? Who was hurt? Did Ducky make them go to Bethesda?" Abby asked rapidly.

"No one has gone to Bethesda."

"Then Ducky patched them up." Gibbs slowly shook his head, walking around the couch and clearing a patch on Abby's coffee table to take a seat.

"Ducky didn't patch anyone up." Abby looked at Gibbs in confusion. If no one went to Bethesda, and Ducky didn't patch anyone up, then why was Gibbs telling her there was an accident? The last time Gibbs looked at her like that was when...

"Who?" Abby whispered. The names and faces of every agent they had lost over the years flashed through her mind in an instant, pausing at the end like a movie as it waited for more data to fill in the last slide. Gibbs let out a heavy breath and braced himself before answering.

"McGee's car went into the Potomac." Abject horror appeared on Abby's face, making Gibbs wish he could turn back time and make McGee come with him and the others instead of letting him stay back at the Yard.

"Mc...Tim? _Timmy_?" The Goth shrieked in disbelief, sitting up right. "No. No way. He drives more carefully than a driving instructor. There is absolutely _no_ way he got into an accident!"

"Metro fished his badge, ID, cellphone, and gun out of the Potomac about an hour ago. Fornell and Sacks were called in. McGee's car was retrieved just as they arrived at the Yard to notify us." Gibbs continued, knowing trying anything else at the moment would prevent him from telling Abby everything. Abby shook her head rapidly in denial, grabbing her pillow from the end of the couch and clutching it in a death grip. "It is highly unlikely they will be able to retrieve his body before Spring. There is too much ice built up."

"If at all." Abby snapped in expected anger, her mind still unable to comprehend the idea of McGee being dead. "He could easily be carried out to the Atlantic. They'd never find him, then."

"I know, Abs." Gibbs replied softly.

"Which is just not fair! It's not fair having to bury an empty casket! And not being able to say good bye! Not being able to see...not being able to see..." Abby hiccuped loudly, signaling an oncoming breakdown. Gibbs quickly moved himself to sit next to Abby on the couch and pulled her into a side hug as she began to bawl into her pillow. Gibbs held her tighter as he pulled her partially onto his lap, setting his chin on the top of her head. With Abby's sub par health at the moment, she didn't have much energy to cry hard for long. Only a few minutes later she was gasping for air and reaching for her box of tissues to clear her sinuses. Gibbs pulled out a few extra to clean her face, his hand going through the motion automatically in muscle memory of him doing it for a girl much younger than the one currently in his lap. "God, Gibbs, why?"

"I don't know, Abs." Gibbs replied to the croaked out question. He kissed Abby's temple before pulling her close again. "I don't know."

"I was snippy with him. He called me this morning to check in on me, like he's been doing every morning and night since I got sick, and I got snippy with him." Abby sniffed.

"McGee knew you cared about him, Abs. He wouldn't have taken your attitude as well as he did if he didn't. He knew you were just acting in irritation at his mother henning." Gibbs assured Abby. Glancing at the clock on her wall, he could tell it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Tony sat in the driver's set of his Mustang, tapping his thumbs on the wheel in a show of excess energy. He and Ziva were just outside Sarah's dorm building, and it was about half an hour before she was expecting him and McGee to show up.

"I am surprised Sarah has not called you yet. Is she not like T...her brother?" Ziva wondered to Tony.

"Sarah is the exact opposite of Tim. It'd be a miracle if she was ever on time for anything outside of school and doctor's appointments." Tony quickly answered. He was going through his head how he was going to explain to Sarah why he brought Ziva and where Tim was. "She probably thinks it's still an hour or two until we were supposed to show up."

"Oh." Ziva said simply. She had spent some time with the young woman after the incident where she was framed for murder, but only by invitation from McGee. As far as Ziva could tell, Tony took Tim out of the equation and interacted with Sarah one-on-one on several occasions. Tony may not admit to it but he certainly took a liking to the members of the McGee family.

"Well, there's no use delaying the inevitable." Tony suddenly said, opening his door and getting out. Ziva hurriedly opened her own door to catch up with him.

"And what are you going to say to her?" Ziva glanced around at all the students they were passing, possible people who could over hear them, and lowered her voice to a hiss. "It is not hard for anyone to see that Tim and Sarah meant the world to each other."

"I honestly don't know, Zee-va, but Sarah would appreciate it if I didn't sound rehearsed." Tony guided Ziva through the main entrance of the building. He navigated the groups of students with ease, going deeper and deeper into the building until the two of them came to a stairwell somewhere near the middle of the building and started to go up. Sarah's floor was similarly crowded both of them noted with a frown, but noticeably quieter. They were a few doors down from Sarah's when they first heard her voice talking animatedly about something with someone. The door was open when they arrived and showed that her dorm had four other students in it.

"Oh, hey! You're early!" Sarah exclaimed when she noticed Tony. She got up from the box she was sitting on to walk over and hug him, pulling him into the room as Ziva followed. "Guys, this is Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David. They're friends of Tim from work. Tony, Ziva, these are my friends Kendra, Jerry, Eric, and Lonna."

Each of Sarah's friends smiled and waved as she mentioned their names. Tony and Ziva politely nodded in return, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. The one Sarah said was Lonna leaned forward on her knees with her head cradled in her hands and a mischievous grin on her face.

"You know, when we met Tim he never mentioned working with anyone hot."

"Lonna!" Sarah gasped in a scandalized tone while the others crooned with laughter. Sarah couldn't help with letting out a few laughs herself as she turned to apologize to Tony but stopped short when she saw that neither of her brother's coworkers had outwardly reacted to Lonna's comment. "Hey, Tony, everything alright? Tim didn't outsmart you with a prank today, did he?"

"I haven't seen Tim in person since this morning, actually." Tony started. He was desperately trying to think of a way to get Sarah's friends out of the room before he told her.

"Wow, really? Gibbs working you guys that hard?" Sarah's friends were confused by Sarah's use of Gibbs' name, not knowing who he was, but she ignored their looks of expectation for an explanation.

"Sorta. Hey, since we're here now why don't your friends skedaddle so we can get things done and over with?" Not a lie, per se.

"You're not going to wait for Tim? Some brother he is to be late with helping his sister." The one named Jerry commented to Sarah. She merely rolled his eyes at her friend.

"If we're starting without him that means he got held up with something. He can make up for it by doing most of the unloading at the apartment. Now you all heard the man. Disperse!" Sarah shooed her friends out the door with a few last laughs before closing the door behind them. "Sorry about them. They all know that Tim is a law enforcement officer and take advantage of the ability to joke around. Will Tim be long?"

Tony and Ziva exchanged looks of hesitation. After a few seconds, Tony turned back to Sarah with a frown and jerked his head towards her bed.

"Sarah, why don't you sit down?" Sarah's smile went from genuine to unsure before morphing into a frown as she did as Tony asked.

"Tony, is Tim ok? Did something happen to send him to Bethesda?" Tony was suddenly happy he was emotionally drained because he was sure that if he wasn't he would start crying again. Sitting down next to Sarah, he motioned to the TV.

"Have you been watching the news at all in the last handful of hours?"

"No..." Sarah shook her head slowly, the frown growing deeper. She glanced at Ziva sitting on her room mates bed but the other woman remained silent. Any answers she wanted were going to have to come from Tony. "Why?"

"Sarah." Tony paused. "Tim's not coming."

"What do you mean, Tim's not coming? He hasn't tried to call me for anything, has he?" Sarah went to reach for her cell phone only to be stopped by Tony.

"No, he hasn't tried to call you."

"Then what are you talking about?" Sarah's eyes flashed with her usual hot temper. Tony looked at her for a few seconds and saw that Sarah would never consider everything those three simple words could mean.

"I mean...Tim's not coming. He was in a car accident around noon. His car and possessions were fished out of the Potomac by Metro."

"Oh, my god!" Sarah's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. The expression made the facial characteristics she shared with Tim stand out. "Why didn't you call me? Tim's been in Bethesda for several hours and now you're seeing fit to tell me that my brother's been in a car accident?"

"Sarah." Tony started again. The pause was heavier than before, made worse by him reaching out to put a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Tim's not in the hospital."

"What? Where else would he be, Tony? The Potomac ain't exactly warm this time of year. The doctors will be worried about hypothermia, at the very least." Tony sent a look Ziva's way, telling her he really didn't want to say what he was going to say next.

"As of this very moment, Tim's still in the Potomac." All color immediately drained from Sarah's face when she finally realized what Tony and Ziva were there for. And it wasn't to help with her move.

"So, when you say Tim isn't coming...you mean _ever_." Sarah said in a warbling voice as her bottom lip began to quiver. Tony nodded slowly in confirmation as he slowly inched himself closer to her. Sarah inhaled sharply in an attempt to keep herself level as her eyes started to shine. "You mean...you mean my big brother is _dead_."

"Yes." Ziva answered for Tony in a subdued voice, her own eyes watering again. Tony could sense that the McGee stubbornness in Sarah that told her to keep herself together was dissolving and quickly pulled her into a hug as the first sob escaped. Her cries were muffled into Tony's chest, occasionally punctuated with a few flails against his leather coat that echoed slightly in the small room. As Tony slowly rocked his best friend's little sister back and forth, the look he shared with his surviving partner showed they agreed one thing. They were taking Sarah with them to Gibbs'.

On Sarah's nightstand, her phone's sudden glow went ignored.


	4. Event Four

Tim quickly closed the window on the computer screen in front of him, standing up to put distance between himself and the machine before he threw it out the nearby window.

It was really _stupid_ of the FBI to allow him access to a computer with internet access at the moment. Of course he would hack into the NCIS mainframe to view the security video feeds. Of course he would want to double check Fisher's claim that his phone call wasn't recorded. Of course the morbid side of his curiosity would want to see how everyone would react to the news of his death and he would be powerless to argue with it. So why the hell did they give him internet access? If he, Tony, or Ziva did something that idiotic, Gibbs would...

Tim forced himself to stop that line of thinking. Gibbs wouldn't be doing anything to him. Not now and probably never again. Thoughts like that would make him go nuts. And since the FBI wanted to keep him in a DC safe house until after his 'funeral' to make sure the Lambert's didn't pull anything, it was probably a good idea to keep himself from going crazy while his friends and family were still in reach. He might just violate Witness Protection if they were in reach when he finally did break, and he knew he eventually would.

"I take it you're finished, McGee?" Tim looked up at the sound of Agent Rocco's voice. He refrained from answering right away because he felt the intense urge to be overly sarcastic with the man, but Rocco was only doing his job. Tim agreed to look over some work and do some minor hacking for their operation – hence the internet access – and Rocco was just checking in on him.

"I finished a couple hours ago. The work I reviewed looked solid and I forwarded the information I collected on to Agent Holt. He can decide how to act on it."

"Any advice you might have will hold some weight with the higher ups, so feel free to give it and don't hold back." Rocco informed him, walking forward to take a seat on one of the chairs in the safe house living room. "Agents Gibbs and Fornell have reputations of being hard asses and you are one of the only people who has ever impressed them both at the same time while remaining in their good graces. I'm in _very_ select company."

"Thank you." Tim let a small smile out, taking Rocco's idea of sitting down as a good one and sat on the couch. Talking with Rocco would take the edge off his desire to do to the computer what the FBI did to his car. It was only fair. "Impressing one of them is hard enough. To be told I've, apparently, impressed them both at the same time makes me feel like I've somehow managed to do something considered impossible."

"It is." Rocco admitted with a laugh. "I know of several agents who've stopped trying to impress Fornell and have accepted that they never will. Sacks is the only one who's been able to handle the stress of working for him."

"Try working for Gibbs." Tim dared with a melancholy smirk. "That three of us lasted longer than five years makes people wonder about our sanity. I've wondered, myself, sometimes."

"Five years is a pretty exact number." Rocco pointed out.

"Special Agent Stan Burley held the record before Tony, Ziva, and I came along. He transferred off the team around his five year mark because he was sick of getting ulcers and having to buy antacids by the ton."

"But I bet he's a fine agent. All your reputations proceed you guys. Anyone who lasts longer than six months with either Fornell or Gibbs pretty much has their career made for them." Tim chuckled softly at that. He couldn't exactly argue it. And it was the ultimately irony that anyone who lasted past the unofficial point of no return didn't _want_ to transfer. He, Tony, and Ziva had to be _forced_ off the team to accommodate Vance's mole hunt. Even Ziva's lapse in judgment on who she could and couldn't trust showed that part of her wanted to remain with Gibbs.

"He is. Now, out of curiosity, what exactly is my reputation? That's one of the few things people haven't been willing to speak about with me for some reason." Rocco froze at suddenly being put on the spot and expected to give answers. It sort of felt like the one time he worked with Fornell on a case and he had to remind himself that he was talking with a man who learned his interrogation skills from a master. It was better to just give the man what he wanted.

"Sacks describes you as having the patience of a saint." Rocco began. "You're the only one from NCIS he seems to like, so I'm guessing that says a lot about his word choice. Others have claimed that you're understanding and willing to give anyone a chance. Your trusting, almost to a fault, but also have the knack of knowing just when to cut someone off. It's considered amazing how you still insist on finding the good in people after everything you've seen in our line of work. And you're considered quite wicked in the interrogation room."

"Wait, what?" Tim let out a laugh as he took in everything Rocco was revealing. "I can see where a few of those things are coming from, but 'wicked in the interrogation room'? Now that's just ridiculous."

"I am not joking, McGee. People underestimate you when you have them in interrogation. I've seen some of the tapes. I don't know if you realize you're doing it but you use that to your advantage." Agent Rocco insisted.

"I've been using other people's underestimation of me to my advantage my entire career, Rocco. That's not news." Tim admitted. "It's never worked on Gibbs, because he's very hard to fool, but I'll confess to doing it with my other team mates. Especially Tony."

"I have a feeling that's a long story, in and of itself, but that's beside the point. It has made you quite talented at interrogation."

"Well, we all need our strong points." Tim pointed out. He was no human lie detector, nor was he a master at hand to hand or a sharp shooter, and he had long accepted that his niche was in digital crime fighting. He never considered his skills in interrogation because his base line was Gibbs. But if an agent from another agency was calling him out on it then perhaps he should rethink his skill level.

Rocco's pocket suddenly exploded with noise as his cell phone started ringing. He hurried to answer it, not even looking at the Caller ID.

"Rocco." Tim watched on with mild fascination as Rocco nodded his way through the conversation. He had never been on this side of the situation before. Not knowing what the discussion was about, if it was about him or something else entirely. Snapping the phone closed, Rocco shoved it back into his pocket as he stood up. "That was Fisher. Apparently one of our field agents came up with a mother load of information for us to go through. He's calling a bunch of us in. Said you're more than welcome to come with."

"No, I don't think I can do much more right now." Tim begged off. He was still processing his situation and talking had cooled off his temper as he had hoped it would. Rocco nodded, not arguing with his decision.

"I'll send for another agent to come sit with you, then." Rocco started for the door.

"Wait..." Tim called out. Rocco froze mid-stride, turning back.

"Yes?"

"Do you have any idea where I'm gonna be going?" Tim asked timidly, not having to elaborate on what he meant by the question.

"Honestly, I don't know. Fisher might. I'll ask if he knows and come back later to tell you what he has to say." Rocco offered. Nodding at the answer, Tim remained silent as his visitor left. Back to his own devices, Tim frowned when the sudden urge to throw the computer out the window returned with a vengeance.

Back on the computer screen, the window for the NCIS security recordings opened back up and replayed the video recorded right after Gibbs left for the Director's office with Fornell and Sacks.

" _Everything will be OK. You'll see..._ "

Tim sharply turned his head in the direction of the computer when he heard a whispering, getting up to walk over. When he stepped around the desk to see the screen the window was empty again.

"Huh..." Tim looked on in slight confusion. "Must have been a noise from one of the neighbors."

Shaking his head, Tim decided a break from the computer was needed if he was hearing things and made his way into the kitchen to make something to eat.


	5. Event Five

Tony and Ziva led Sarah into Gibbs' house, each keeping an eye on the young woman in case she succumbed to another surge of emotion. She had cried on and off for an hour in her dorm after Tony had given her the news. And it was clear Gibbs had to deal with the same thing when they heard Abby's sobs echoing through the house once they were inside. Sarah bolted for the goth on the couch the moment they entered the living room, clinging to the older woman despite her obviously ill health. Abby didn't hesitate to wrap her own arms around Sarah. Ziva joined them on the couch, but kept a slight distance and merely set a hand on Sarah's shoulder. Leaving the women to their emotional break down, because Sarah was already crying again and it looked like Ziva might start as well, Tony headed immediately into the kitchen.

As expected, Gibbs was in the middle of warming up some soup for the sicko in the living room. Ducky and Palmer sat at the table silently, both of them cradling rapidly cooling cups of tea. Tony paused a moment to look the other men over before pulling a chair out and spinning it around before sitting.

"Sarah's in the living room with Abby and Ziva." Tony reported, updating the others of the situation out of habit. Gibbs jerked his head in acknowledgment, but that was the only response Tony got. He felt unsure was what to do or say and was certain he wasn't the only one. Only Gibbs found something to keep himself occupied by focusing on taking care of Abby.

This definitely didn't feel like when Kate died. Everyone had reacted in anger then. They had something to do. They had someone to blame. But silence seemed to be the theme this time. And a good dose of denial and disbelief that it was McGee. Tony resisted the urge to tap his fingers on the table by grabbing one of the disposable napkins, which were undoubtedly set out by Ducky, and methodically ripping it to shreds. By the time Gibbs had finished warming up the soup and delivered a bowl to Abby, he had created a nice pile of white confetti. Tony frowned at the size of the mound in front of him and pushed it away before crossing his arms on top of the chair back.

"Who's telling his parents?" Palmer randomly asked, making Tony and Ducky jump slightly from the sudden break in the silence. The two of them exchanged unsure glances, not knowing the answer.

"Sarah." Gibbs provided as he sat down in the last chair at the table. "Said so when I gave Abby her food."

"Sure she should do that, Boss?" Tony asked. "Sarah had a difficult time telling her friends. I can't imagine what it'll be like for her to tell her parents."

"It was a car accident, DiNozzo, not a suspect gunning him down. It'll be better for McGee's parents to hear it from her than one of us." Gibbs insisted. Tony knew he could have argued that he or Ziva would have been a better choice, but he kept his mouth shut on the matter. Getting into an argument on who was going to tell McGee's parents that their only son was dead would be a petty thing to do at the moment. If Sarah faltered when the time came, he'd simply have Ziva or himself take over.

"Timothy was a well organized lad." Ducky started, gaining a slightly confused look from Tony and Palmer. "I'm sure he has instructions somewhere on what to do in the event of his death, body or no body. I must inquire, Anthony, if you would know where Timothy would keep such paperwork in his apartment."

"Safe, under his writer's desk." Slipped from Tony's mouth automatically. He had seen McGee remove and insert many small objects and files into that thing in the past few years. If he thought about it, he'd probably be able to recall the combination to unlock it.

"Very good. Tomorrow morning we should attempt to collect Timothy's final instructions so we may begin to put them into action. He would not want us to dawdle." Ducky suggested, focusing more on Tony than the other men at the table. Tony nodded.

"First thing, before the girls wake up." Tony didn't need to explain to Ducky why he insisted on that. They wouldn't make it out the front door without Ziva finding out, but they needed to leave before Abby and Sarah woke up in the morning. Neither of them needed to go to McGee's apartment so soon.

"I'll come with." Palmer spoke up, a slightly stubborn look appearing on his face. Tony let out a sigh but didn't argue. Jimmy was a bit more in control of his outward reactions than the girls were. If he felt that he could handle visiting McGee's apartment then Tony wasn't going to debate it.

A sudden ringing brought attentions towards Gibbs, who shot up to grab his cell off the counter.

"Gibbs." He nodded a few times, murmuring in confirmation before cutting off the connection and setting his phone back down. "Abby's substitute is done looking over McGee's car. The only thing he could find wrong with it was that McGee was a tad short on oil."

"You mean _other_ than the fact that it took a bath in the Potomac?" Tony frowned at the table. Gibbs knew he normally smacked Tony upside the head for snark like that, but decided against it. Tony needed an outlet.

"Timothy always did keep his possessions in top, working order. That the young man found nothing wrong does not surprise me." Ducky commented, taking a sip of his now stone cold tea. Ziva wandered into the kitchen then, hitching a hip onto the table next to Tony. She gave him a critical look.

"Abby is bound and determined to go with Sarah tomorrow when she goes to notify college administration and her various professors that she won't be attending classes. I have tried to tell Abby that she should be _resting_ , but there is no convincing her. Perhaps you should try." Tony snorted at what Ziva said, shaking his head.

"You want me to convince Abby to willingly stay away from what she views as her only connection left to McGee? I may be daring enough to take _you_ on, my little Israeli ninja, but I'm not suicidal. Let's just drug Abby up with every flu medication known to mankind and let her go." Ziva gave Tony a frown, turning to Ducky for support.

"Anthony isn't exactly wrong in his thinking, Ziva. Abigail needs to be able to accept that Timothy is no longer with us on her own terms. Perhaps going with Sarah as she notifies people of his death will help Abigail accept the reality of the situation and allow her to let Timothy go. While they have not had romantic feelings for each other for quite some time, Abigail and Timothy have always been the closest of us all. I do gather the pain of his death is only more severe in Sarah. And his parents, once they're notified. We will need to watch Abigail quite closely, and not because she has influenza." Ducky elaborated. The frown on Ziva's face didn't go away but she remained silent.

"We're going to his apartment tomorrow, Z." Tony started, changing the subject. "Do you want to come with? We'll be looking for any paperwork he created for last wishes."

"Yes. I will come with. Anything I can do to grant McGee his final requests." Ziva stepped away from the table with a sniff. "We should figure out what to do with Jethro. He is still at the vet."

"He can stay here. Already knows the place." Gibbs offered.

"Perhaps we should ask Abby and Sarah to pick him up tomorrow. You know...give them something to focus on." Jimmy suggested awkwardly. Ducky pointed a finger at him, waving it in agreement.

"Excellent idea, Mr. Palmer. We don't want to overwhelm them with tasks, no, but simple chores should keep the girls from over thinking. We don't want them to start blaming themselves or regretting things that they shouldn't be worrying about. Timothy wouldn't want them to do that."

"Then our plans tomorrow are settled. While Sarah and Abby are out doing their errands, we go to McGee's apartment." Tony summarized. The others nodded in agreement, suddenly finding themselves with little else to talk about. Letting out a heavy sigh, Ziva wrapped her arms around her waist in a hug.

"I should go back to my apartment to pack an overnight bag. My backup duffel still in my car." Ziva stated. "Take me, Tony?"

"Sure. We can stop at my place, as well." Tony got up, turning the chair back around. "Sarah's bag can stay in my trunk until we get back."

"Do hurry back." Ducky bade them farewell. Nodding, Tony and Ziva headed through the dining room to the front door.

* * *

" _Be careful driving on those roads, ok? I hit a patch of black ice on the way to work this morning and nearly drove my way into a tree, even with the roads salted. So drive even more grandmotherly than you usually do. Got it?"_

_"Aaron, it looks like the car is a Porsche Boxster. Not a car you want to lose in an accident like this."_

_""McGee's cell phone, badge, ID, and weapon were retrieved from the vehicle an hour ago."_

_"...the body was never found_."

Tony sat up with a gasp, shaking his head to clear it. He hated the dreams. They came each time a close friend of his died. He may have hallucinated Kate briefly in the few days after, but the nightmares after her funeral made up for the delay in their appearance. Tony glanced over at Ziva, snoring away on the other cot in the dining room, and mentally dreaded the thought of her dying any time soon. He didn't think he'd survive it. Wiping away the film of sweat that had developed on his forehead, Tony got up from the cot and decided a late night shower was in order. Collecting the extra pajamas he had packed, he headed through the living room to go to the upstairs bathroom.

Tony stood there, waiting for the water to get hot enough for his liking. Hotter than he usually had it. He had had these dreams many times before but he felt especially filthy this time around. McGee wasn't supposed to die before him. McGee was supposed to find a woman he could call his wife. McGee was supposed to get the house, with the dog, cat, and two point five kids. McGee was supposed to get the American dream that he desired so dearly. He wasn't supposed to die in a damn car accident, where they couldn't even find his body. McGee didn't deserve that. Water sufficiently heated, Tony stepped in with a hiss.

The mirror above the sink fogged up from the cloud of mist escaping the top of the shower, blurring the backwards world it showed. The bathroom door in that backwards world opened slowly, the door it should be reflecting remaining still, and a slender figure stepped in. The figure crossed the backwards bathroom and stood in front of the shower curtain, lightly dragging her hand down the plastic.

"The nightmares will be worth it." Her voice was hidden in the roar of the shower.


	6. The Funeral, Part I

Gibbs sat at his desk in the darkness of morning twilight, looking across the Bull Pen to the empty desk across from his. The lamp on his desk accenting every detail of age on his face in a somewhat cruel reminder of everything he'd lived through. Memories of a greener-than-grass NCIS agent stuttering his way through explanations overlaid themselves on top of each other at a rapid pace in Gibbs' mind, slowly morphing into more recent memories of a slightly cocky agent who could hold his own against anyone and wouldn't hesitate to hack into anything when asked. Gibbs' blinked rapidly to clear up his eyes, which had begun to blur, and turned them to the desk reserved for his Senior Field Agent. The arrogant and lazy tone of a black-haired agent echoed faintly in the memories of a mole hunt that the man ultimately had no reason to be in, giving his life to end it. Gibbs' attention turned one last time to the desk next to his, his own utterance of 'Please' to an irritated Secret Service agent pushing its way to the front of his memories. He continued to look back and forth between all the desks before falling back to the one across from him.

It seemed unfair to Gibbs. He, who once wished he were dead, continued to live on without hindrance while the future of NCIS died around him. Gibbs didn't deny that his ways were old fashioned. Agents like him were a disappearing breed, being replaced by those who put their stock in the technology of evidence rather than the gut reactions of an interrogation. Agents like him were the ones taking the risks in the field. It certainly explained why DiNozzo was getting patched up so often. But they were the ones that seemed to live longer than their technology-prone counterparts. Technology made it easier to bring a murderer to justice, only it looked like it also made it easier to kill the people in the first place.

' _McGee died in an accident_ ' Gibbs had to remind himself. He was technically on the job, but it wasn't the job that killed him. The weather did. It was an odd comfort to McGee's parents, knowing that their son's death wasn't malicious. It just seemed like a waste of a life to Gibbs.

"Boss?" Gibbs looked up, barely managing to hide his surprise at the sudden interruption. He hadn't seen or heard DiNozzo come in. "Ziva and Abby are waiting for us out in the car. The McGee's are already at Tim's apartment with Ducky and Palmer."

Now _that_ was a development he should have seen coming. Tony and Ziva. The two of them had been clingy for the past week. Apparently they finally broke down and threw Rule 12 out the window. Not that he could blame them. Having been the closest with Tim, the two of them had to be taking this the hardest. Abby may have been the most expressive, causing Ducky to worry about her the most, but Ducky didn't see the team dynamic in the Bull Pen. He didn't see the three of them trusting each other without hesitation despite the countless pranks they'd done on each other. And Ducky certainly didn't see the reluctance Tim had developed with Abby ever since the Jethro incident.

"Alright. I'm coming." Gibbs got up slowly, wincing when his knees popped from the movement. The grim look on Tony's face matched Gibbs' as both men frowned at Tim's desk for a few moments.

"I don't know if I can continue working in this area, Boss." Tony admitted. Gibbs turned his attention to his Senior Field Agent, trying to figure out exactly what the man meant by that. He had worked too hard to keep DiNozzo on his team just to see the man leave now, of all times. Tony could feel Gibbs' gaze on him and turned to face his boss. "I have a desk in front of me and a desk beside me that both remind me of friends who lost their lives needlessly. It's becoming unbearable. If the team can't get permission to change work areas, Boss, I'm putting in for a transfer. I can't do my job if all I can focus on is dead people."

Gibbs remained silent, his mind irritatingly pointing out that Tony's job _was_ to focus on dead people when all Gibbs wanted to do was address Tony's issue with their working area. When he didn't get a response, Tony thought over what he said in case he said something wrong and realized the flaw in his wording.

"Dead agents." Tony amended quickly. "I can't do my job if all I can focus on is dead agents, wondering who will be next."

"Probably doesn't help having Ziver right across from you." Gibbs finally commented. Tony adopted a deer-in-headlights look and began gaping like a fish as he searched for words to explain himself. Gibbs shook his head in mild amusement before continuing. "I'll ask Vance about it the next time he and I speak. Now come on..."

Gibbs pushed Tony slightly in the direction of the elevator, ignoring the man stuttering over his words in a continued effort to explain himself.

* * *

"It was particularly difficult to set all of this into motion, but we thank all of you. Especially with helping us contact all his distant friends." Mr. McGee looked to everyone on Team Gibbs with a grateful face. "It's a dark irony that Tim had already planned most of this for us. But the least we can do is honor our son's last wishes and follow the arrangements he laid out. Tim didn't want any arguments happening over what should be done, and effectively stopped them before they even began. He certainly knew his mother and sister well enough to chide them from beyond the grave."

Mrs. McGee threw her husband a dark look for joking around like that while Sarah gave all of Team Gibbs a put-out expression at their chuckling.

"Tim pass up a chance to chide Sarah? I did not think older brothers would do such a thing." Ziva commented, giving the younger woman a smile in support.

"He certainly wouldn't." Mr. Gee agreed. "Now, we've brought back the pictures and movies you all have borrowed us to create the remembrance video. Thank you, again, for all the help you have given us. We managed to create a three hour video that we'll be playing on repeat until the service begins."

"I had Mom create a request form for people to sign in case they wanted a copy of the video." Sarah spoke up, comfortable enough with Team Gibbs to ignore the formality her father was using. "I put your guy's names at the top of the list already."

"Thanks, McSister." Tony gave Sarah a small smirk, letting her know he noticed her bluntness.

"Yes. Thank you, Sarah." Ziva nodded towards her in thanks. The others all nodded towards Sarah as well, but none spoke up. They hadn't had as much time to get to know Sarah like Tony and Ziva had. Not even Abby.

"We've also gotten a few offers from guys from multiple agencies to record the service." Sarah continued, taking over the conversation from her father. "We're going to be getting a copy of the one being recorded by Agent Sacks, since he's the one who knew Tim the most out of all those who offered, but a few guys will be coming with cameras and you can ask for copies from any of them. Tim seemed pretty popular, and not just with you guys at NCIS."

"Your brother is one of the few agents who tended to ignore NCIS' rivalry with other agencies, my dear. He made an effort to get along with everyone. It led to him making quite a few friends." Ducky explained.

"Yeah. Timmy got along with everyone. Even Ziva's dad..." Abby whispered, tears welling up in her eyes as she hugged herself. Gibbs quietly handed Abby one of the many boxes of Kleenex that were set out in the apartment. Another quiet moment fell upon the whole group, no one really knowing how to continue after that.

"Did you guys need any help with Tim's apartment?" Jimmy blurted out, ever the one to end awkward silences.

"Tim's landlord was kind enough to give us until the end of the month to move everything into storage. You are more than welcome to assist if you wish." Mrs. McGee answered with a small smile.

"Take an item or two, if you want. Just say something." Sarah added, staring at the floor. That the offer came from Sarah instead of either of her parents didn't surprise any of them. They all had read Tim's will when it was retrieved from his safe. Except for a few things, like Tim's personal weapons, everything he had owned went to her.

"I'll keep Jethro." Gibbs said. "He's comfortable at my house. Has already set up a patrol in the back yard to keep the other animals out and everything."

"Are you sure? We wouldn't want to put a burden on you, Agent Gibbs." Mr. McGee started to say.

"I'm sure. It's not a problem. The only thing I'm going to have to do is to install a doggie door." Gibbs insisted. Jethro had a set schedule he was used to, thanks to Tim, and that schedule was created around the work schedule of a federal agent. Jethro staying with someone on the team was only fitting.

"I'm sure Tim would appreciate that, Gibbs. Thank you." Sarah finally looked up again. Gibbs gave her a small nod of acknowledgment, knowing Sarah really meant that Tim would have wanted Jethro to go to somebody the dog knew.

"I do hope we all can stay in contact in one way or another after today." Mr. McGee took over the conversation. "Tim viewed you all as his second family. You were all he'd talk about whenever he was asked about work at family events. I'm sure Agent DiNozzo can confirm this."

Tony blushed slightly as Mr. and Mrs. McGee gave him small smirks. Tim had dragged Tony along when he and Sarah went home for Christmas, declaring that Tony was going to learn that Christmas wasn't just about a seemingly endless movie marathon the whole month of December and awkward office parties with coworkers. Ziva threw Tony a smirk as well, the glint in her eye promising an interrogation in the future.

"Yes. Tim was a McChatter Box about us all this last Christmas. Learned quite a few new things about everyone." Tony commented, slouching slightly in his seat. Taking pity on him, Mrs. McGee stood up and collected their pictures and DVDs off the computer desk before returning them to their respective owners.

"Thank you, again, for letting us borrow these." She said to the group, overall. "As much as my husband loves to talk and embarrass people, though, we all must be going if we wish to meet with the memorial coordinator before the ceremony starts."

Mrs. McGee was including the team in that statement, giving each of them a stern look that said she expected them to come just as she did Sarah. Letting out a small smile at the 'Mom' look his team was getting, Gibbs stood up and collected his coat from the back of the chair he was sitting on.

"We will meet you there, Mrs. McGee." He replied. Jerking his head at the door, he let Tony, Ziva, and Abby know that he'd be waiting in the car for them. The three of them gave their various signs of recognition of what he meant as they stood up, slowly getting themselves ready to leave. Letting them dawdle, knowing they'd each want to say something to Mr. and Mrs. McGee, Gibbs followed Ducky and Jimmy out the door after the two of them bade the McGee's a temporary fairwell.


	7. The Funeral, Part II

" _Kate, what are you going with my camera?"_  A younger looking, chubbier McGee laughed on the television screen. He was sitting at his desk in the Bull Pen, obviously more comfortable speaking one-on-one with the woman behind the camera than he appeared to be with everyone back then.

" _I am documenting your first days as a member of Team Gibbs in the event you accidentally piss him off the wrong way and he kills you. A video is far better than a character witness."_ The camera shook slightly as Kate Todd giggled through her explanation.

" _Then shouldn't you be filming me interacting with Gibbs?"_  McGee gave the camera a 'gotcha look', a grin slowly forming on his face.

" _I'm still trying to figure out how I can do that without him noticing..."_

Kate's voice faded out with the picture, a new video clip fading in. The scenery changed from Tim's desk in the Bull Pen to a park in Silver Spring. This time, he was glaring at the person holding the camera.

" _Recording this isn't going to get you out of trouble, Sarah._ " Tim snapped with the usual big brother tone he used when his baby sister said or did something that greatly irritated him.

" _Oh, I'm not recording this to save myself. I don't need to work to do that. I'm recording this for future generations to_ prove _that you are capable of negative emotions!"_  Sarah's dramatic tone pulled an eye roll from her big brother.

" _I am perfectly capable of destroying the evidence, but that's beside the point. You are_ such _a blabber mouth. The team is going to be riding my ass about_ Deep Six _, now. There's a reason I didn't tell them about it, Sarah!"_

_"You should be proud, Tim!"_ The young woman protested. "Deep Six _has made the New York Times best seller list. If your coworkers can't be bothered to be excited about the fact that people adore characters based off of them then the lot of them can shove it."_

_"You're lucky I love you..."_ Tim muttered, reaching for something off camera. The video faded away to a slide show, a collection of surprise photos at crime scenes and large grins during team nights.

Ziva stood slightly off to the side of the television, eyes glued to the screen, completely oblivious to the various people who were making their way into the church the McGee's had picked for the memorial service. That last video clip had Ziva zoning out to memories of how she and Tony reacted when they found out about Tim's book. She acted out in anger and irritation back then since it seemed to be expected of her, but now Ziva was regretting not telling Tim what she actually thought about the book. A well worn copy sat in the drawer of her bedside table, heavily annotated with notes from when she would recognize details that came from cases and noticed things Tim had changed about the characters so they wouldn't be carbon copies of the people they were based off of. In hindsight, Ziva was amazed by Tim's ability to craft a story and felt honored that he viewed her worthy enough to be included in one of them. She really should have pushed him to finish  _Rock Hollow_ , regardless of what Abby had said about McGregor and Amy.

"What are you thinking about?" Ziva jumped slightly from Tony's sudden appearance, grabbing a hold of his arms as they wrapped around her waist.

"We should have been more considerate of his writing career." Was all Ziva said. Tony sighed, burying his face in the crook of her neck for a few moments as he thought over how he was going to respond to that.

"Tim knew we liked his book." Tony finally said as he lifted his head. "He has seen your copy of it when you've left it out on your coffee table. He's seen it on my own, understocked bookshelf. We are not book people, Z, so that we are even keeping a copy told Tim that we like it."

"We should have encouraged him to keep writing after the Landon incident." Ziva hissed over her shoulder.

"I know, Z. We..." Tony tried to placate her.

"It was  _wrong_  of Abby to say what she said to Tim. He was quite adamant that he was only using us for inspiration. She should not have told him what he could or could not do with his own characters." Ziva continued as if Tony had said nothing.

"Ziva, hindsight is not going to help at this point in time." Tony got out in a stern tone before she could start a full-out rant. "Tim had multiple reasons for not finishing  _Rock Hollow_. We will never know all of them, but what Abby said is not the sole reason."

Ziva frowned at the television screen as a picture of Tim proudly holding a copy of  _Deep Six_  in his editor's office came up. It was obviously taken by Lyndi's assistant as the woman in question could be seen in the background at her desk, only a sliver of her remaining after someone cropping the photo cut her out to put more focus on Tim.

"We hope not." Ziva muttered, turning around in Tony's arms. "Mrs. McGee has said that there will be an open mic for people to share stories about Tim, but she would like those of us on the team who wish to say to something to be the formal speakers at the beginning. She, Mr. McGee, and Sarah have all made the decision not to do it."

"Is that all I missed?" Tony asked. He had volunteered to run and get Jethro from Gibbs' house for Sarah, leaving the meeting with the coordinator a bit early to do that so he would be back before the ceremony officially began.

"Yes. The rest of the discussion was about the cost of things not covered by the savings Tim had set aside, but Gibbs stepped in before Mr. and Mrs. McGee could agree to anything. The donation basket that has been going around the Navy Yard and the Hoover Building more than covers the rest of the bill."

"That's good. They really shouldn't have to worry about something like that right now." Ziva nodded in agreement, letting out a sigh and pressing her forehead against Tony's chest.

"Will you be going up?" She asked in a tiny voice. She had not spoken at Ari's funeral back in Israel after escorting his body back, but she was considering doing it here. Tim was...different.

"Yes. I'll let the rest of you go first, though. I don't think I could do it if I went first." The vibration of Tony's chest as he spoke was a minor comfort to Ziva. It was slightly better than hearing a heart beat.

"Very well. Ducky has already agreed to go first. Palmer will be going after him. Gibbs, surprising, has agreed to speak as well. Abby turned down the offer."

"And you?" Ziva looked up at Tony's question.

"I am considering it. Tim was the first one to welcome me to America. I did not come at the most opportune time, but he did not take it out on me." Tony lifted a hand to the side of her face, lightly rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

"Do not feel like you have to, Z. Tim would understand."

"I know. But...Tim is the brother I wish I had received. I owe it to him." Ziva insisted. Tony nodded in understanding, knowing exactly what she meant. Tim had become the brother he never got, as well.

"Guys. We'll be starting soon." Sarah appeared a few feet away, her eyes focused on the television instead of the people she was talking to. A picture of her and Tim at his MIT graduation had appeared on the screen, the both of them wearing matching grins and MIT tshirts.

"We are coming, Sarah." Tony pulled away from Ziva, turning his head to address the younger woman. He wordlessly handed over one of the many pocket packets of kleenex he was carrying when she sniffed loudly and turned away from the television.

"Thanks." Sarah croaked as she quickly took a tissue out to wipe her eyes. Tony was mentally glad she decided not to try speaking. She wouldn't make it past the first two or three sentences.

"Come on, Sarah. I am sure your mother is waiting for us in the front pew." Ziva stepped forward to wrap an arm around one of Sarah's, guiding her into the main part of the church. Eying the television screen one last time, which had switched to showing a picture of him, Tim, and Kate that was taken shortly before the plague incident, Tony slowly followed.

* * *

 

"I must admit, my first impression of Timothy blended in with many of the other first impressions I have of the nameless agents who pass through my workplace." Ducky started,carefully wording his sentences. "I did not originally expect Jethro to request his transfer to the team from Norfolk. Jethro clearly saw something I had not during those first few cases we worked with young Timothy before his transfer."

Tony couldn't help but let a small smirk slip out. Even now, he couldn't believe Tim had actually listened to him and stayed with the crime scene the entire night. An elbow in the side had him turning to a confused looking Ziva. He waved her off, giving her a look that promised an explanation later.

"But after a few more cases, I quickly became glad of Jethro's decision. Not only did Timothy's abilities balance out the rest of the team, but so did his personality. I have always been amazed by Timothy's latent ability to always see the best in everyone, even after everything he has witnessed during his tenure with NCIS. He was a stark reminder to the rest of us that the world is not entirely made of bad people. That good people still exist and that we shouldn't let ourselves group them with the bad."

"His loyalty and love for his friends and family seemed to set the bar for the rest of us. I cannot remember how many times a short pep talk or words of encouragement from Timothy had made the rest of us reach out to loved ones we had strayed from. We all are certainly better from knowing Timothy McGee."

It was certainly different from his usual lengthy stories, but no one on Team Gibbs felt the need to point it out just yet. As Ducky returned to his seat in the front pew with the others, Jimmy made his way up to the podium with a small note card he had made ahead of time. He pulled his glasses off to rub his face before letting out a heavy sigh and putting them back on.

"I was just a temporary worker at NCIS when I first met Tim. Dr. Mallard's previous assistant was out of commission from an incident at work and I was called in to help Dr. Mallard until he could return. Gerald ultimately decided not to return, leading to me becoming Dr. Mallard's permanent assistant. It wasn't until then that I really began to interact with the members of Team Gibbs." Jimmy nervously fiddled with his note card, not really looking at it.

"I admit that I was terrified of Gibbs those first few years. Actually, I still am..." That pulled chuckles from the various NCIS agents in the audience. "But the irony of it all is that my most terrifying experience with an agent at NCIS wasn't with Gibbs. It was with Tim."

A few of the agents in the audience exchanged confused looks. Timothy McGee was one of the nicest people they had ever met. What could he have possibly done to scare someone?

"I accidentally got myself stuck to Abby with superglue during a case and Tim walked in on us before we could detach ourselves from each other." Watery giggles erupted from Abby as she remembered that event. The initial anger on Tim's face was just as clear as the abject horror that appeared on Jimmy's when Tim yelled at him. "He, of course, apologized later. Didn't change the fact that I was only afraid of Gibbs on principle and Tim had given me a  _real_  reason to be scared of him. Needless to say, I made a mental note to  _never_  let myself end up on the wrong end of Tim's irritation again."

Jimmy's lips pursed as he smothered a smile. So many people took Tim's niceness and manners for granted that they never considered what it would be like to have him angry at them. It was enough for Jimmy to realize that he needed to focus more on keeping the members of Team Gibbs happy over keeping Gibbs, himself, happy. An angry Tony was a close second to an angry Tim.

"Despite that, though, I ended up spending a lot of my free time with Tim. I spent a lot of time with members of Team Gibbs, but mostly just Tim and Tony. I used to always get chided from Dr. Mallard for spending too much time with Tony outside of work because it was affecting my behavior at work. He never realized that I picked up most of my mannerisms from hanging out with Tim, not Tony." Jimmy threw an amused look in Tony's direction when the Italian man gave Ducky a pout for putting all the blame on him for corrupting the Autopsy Gremlin. "But I gotta say, I'm glad that that happened. My boost in confidence from hanging out with Tim and Tony ultimately led to me meeting my girlfriend, Breena. It probably says something about the two of them that I managed to get a girlfriend with their advice while they remained single, but I'm not going to get into that right now."

Sarah joined in on Abby's giggling. She knew more about Tim's dating history than the rest of them, with the exception of probably Tony, and knew that Jimmy's experience with Tim's dating advice was most likely accurate. He could always help others get into a relationship with someone but it never worked for himself.

Jimmy gave the audience a grim smile as he stepped away from the podium, deciding to end his speech with that finally comment. Tony looked towards Gibbs in expectation as Jimmy returned to the pew, wondering if Gibbs really would go up to speak. The man wasn't a public speaker. But Tony was proved wrong as Gibbs stood up and took Jimmy's place at the podium. The silence before Gibbs began talking was longer than it had been with Ducky and Jimmy.

"McGee always said he thought I requested his transfer to the team because I needed someone with computer skills to help with cases. Never could get it through his stubborn mind that I could have just requested a TAD from Cyber Crimes if that was all I needed." Short, sweet, and to the point. Typical Gibbs, when he  _was_  talking. He glanced at the framed picture of Tim that was being displayed in place of the usual casket, a ghost of a frown appearing on his face. The chosen photo was taken shortly after he pseudo retired and Tim became Tony's SFA. The excited grin on Tim's face was a drastic contrast to the morose feeling everyone in the church was exuding, and it brought up feelings of guilt in Gibbs that he wasn't even there to see Tim take on a SFA position. "It was his tenacity, though, and his intuition that made me interested in recruiting him to the team. The rest of us are experts in dealing with people and body language but we can't hold a candle to McGee's ability to see patterns and significant details in the mass amount of information each case collects. Even when they weren't plain as day to see, he instinctively knew where to look for them."

Gibbs shifted his weight from one foot to the other, giving in to the temptation to set his arms on the podium. It had been a while since he had spoken at a funeral and he couldn't say he was all too pleased that it was McGee's, of all people, that he was doing it again at. If anyone had to die to make him speak up, it should have been someone like Mike.

"McGee was becoming quite the prowler in the interrogation room, as well. We never did admit it to him, but both Agent Fornell and I have been impressed by some of the work McGee has done in there. It's not often that an agent has a disposition that makes nearly everyone underestimate them. Even fewer know how to use that to their advantage. McGee is one of the few who took it one step further by turning that underestimation around on the other person by getting them to do things with a little manipulation. DiNozzo, David, and even myself tend to use brute force and stubbornness to make our way through an interrogation but McGee was blessed with a silver tongue, nearly turning the dang thing into an art."

Ziva and Tony choked on air as they attempted to stifle a laugh, earning a few odd looks from others. If they were at work, they'd probably be asking Gibbs if it were painful for him to admit such a thing. But they couldn't exactly argue with Tim's abilities in the interrogation room. There was, after all, a reason they trusted him to stay behind to do the bulk of the interrogation work while the three of them were out in the field. It was fitting that Gibbs was the one to praise Tim's work instead of them.

"Those who know me know I have an open door policy for anyone who needs to talk. Hell, I don't even lock my front door. McGee, probably without even realizing it, ended up with a similar situation. For every time a member of my team came to my house to talk, I can think of a time where they went to McGee's apartment instead. It was a rather...unique experience seeing that happen. It wasn't until recently that I figured out why it was happening since McGee didn't exactly invite everyone over like I do." Tony's head cocked slightly at the admission. He knew  _he_  was going to McGee's more often than Gibbs' lately. He hadn't realized that the others were doing the same thing. Now he was curious as to what Gibbs came up with for the reason. "McGee and I had a lot more in common than anyone really realized. I've heard agents laugh at the mere idea of he and I having  _anything_ in common, considering McGee's affinity for technology and my clear dislike for it, but they focused on the wrong things. Out of my three agents, McGee was definitely the most stubborn. While DiNozzo and David are willing to break more rules to get the job done, McGee was more willing to break the bigger ones. And the rest of us definitely learned quickly to rue the day any of us messed with Sarah McGee."

A dark blush appeared on Sarah's face as she slightly sank in her seat, both of her parents giving her knowing looks. She was still embarrassed that Tim had gone so far as to offer his resignation from NCIS to protect her. Sarah went to her big brother to save her in her moment of need, but she never expected him to go the lengths he did.

"So, really, it became quite obvious why everyone was going to him for advice just as often as they came to me. Once McGee labeled you friend or family, he'd go to the ends of the Earth to help or protect you when you needed him. It's definitely been an honor to have him on my team."

Ziva quickly wiped the tears off her face as Gibbs returned to the pew. She still hadn't decided whether or not she would go up to speak. Tony turned his attention to her, noticing the slightly panicked look in her eyes. He began to stand up to take the pressure off of her, but Ziva made the snap decision to pull him back down and stand up instead. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked up the podium to give her as much time as possible to think of something to say. Ziva looked back and forth between the photo of Tim and the audience as she figured out how to start, finally setting her eyes on the audience just before she began to speak.

"On May 24th, 2005, Special Agent Caitlin Todd was shot down by rogue Mossad officer Ari Haswari." Ziva began, getting a tense reaction from her team. "My brother."

Abby looked on in horror at Ziva's admission, a more sever reaction than the simple shock Ducky and Jimmy were showing at this new piece of information. Gibbs shook his head slowly, realizing what Ziva was doing, while Tony looked on intently. Ziva had long ago told him that Ari was her older half-brother. His gut told him that this was going to be more than a mere admission of disappointing family members. The rest of the audience were caught up in morbid curiosity on why Ziva would start out her speech like that.

"Only a few minutes before shooting Agent Todd, Ari made an attempt at McGee's life. Had Tim not ducked for cover from shots from a separate source, Ari surely would have met his target and we would not be here this day. I discovered this piece of information after I was made a liaison officer for Mossad at NCIS shortly after the aforementioned event. The team did not know of my blood relation to Ari but they knew I was his control officer, so the initial greetings were certainly not the best they could have been." Ziva let out a shaky breath as she began to get on a roll. The words were coming, finally, and she wasn't going to stop them. "Tim did not let Agent Todd's death dictate his actions, though. He welcomed me to America without hesitation. He helped me figure out what the best route would be to take to get to the Navy Yard from my new apartment. He was very accommodating of my misunderstanding of American culture. I was very fortunate to have Timothy McGee be there during such an upheaval in my life, especially when I had to shoot my brother to save Agent Gibbs' life."

Tony sat up straighter in his seat, throwing a glare at Gibbs. He had been there for many of the nightmares Ziva had about Ari and Tali. That she had been forced to kill her own brother instead of Gibbs doing the deed, like the report had said, explained a lot of those nightmares. The rest of the audience had various expressions of pity, shock, and horror at what Ziva had done. The lack of understanding of the difference between American culture and how Ziva was raised was quite clear.

"Timothy McGee was no ordinary partner. Once, during a case, he had hypothetically asked what I would do if he and I had lost contact for a few years and he got his throat slit by a serial killer." The glare on Tony's face dropped as he turned his attention back to Ziva. He remembered the case she was speaking of. As he thought about it, Tony couldn't remember much of what the others had done during that case. It was...oddly disappointing. "I, without hesitation, replied that I would hunt the killer down and make him regret the day he was born. When he was released after the riot at the woman's prison in Maryland, I even asked if anyone in there had hurt him so I could kick their ass."

Ziva let out a burst of laughter, wiping the new stream of tears off her face as memories kept on coming to the surface. No one outside the team would really understand why she was laughing since they didn't know about her assassin training, but she didn't care. That was the meaning of family. Those who could laugh together when the rest of the world looked on in confusion.

"I cannot remember how many times Tim and I have ganged up on Tony in our teasing. Nor how many times Tony and I ganged up on  _Tim_. But regardless of how often that happened, I always knew Tim would be there if I called. I never got that from my own brother as I was growing up. I marveled at that knowledge and have often thought that that must be what it feels like to be Sarah. To  _know_  that someone would  _always_  be on your side, no matter what you did. It made me feel secure about my place here in America. I have changed since I first met Timothy McGee and I do not regret a single thing about it." Ziva fell silent then. The train of thought providing her with material finally ran out of steam, leaving her emotionally exhausted. She carefully stepped around the podium, a bit unsure about her ability to keep her composure, before rushing forward to Tony's outstretched arms to begin bawling.

Tony rocked Ziva lightly as silence fell over the church. He knew everyone else knew he was next to speak, but no one was in a hurry. They sat silently as Tony took the time to calm Ziva down enough for her to breathe properly, thinking over their own memories that had been triggered by what they had heard so far.

Once he was satisfied that he had calmed Ziva enough, Tony inhaled sharply before standing up and making his way to the podium. All the law enforcement officers in the room instantly focused their attention on Tony, knowing that they were about to learn more about his relationship with Tim than had ever been let on before. Every single one of them, at one point or another, had seen the loyalty between Tony and Tim. They did not question it. They did not doubt that it was stronger than the loyalty the team members felt towards Gibbs. And that Tony was going  _last_  meant his speech was most likely going to be the most significant.

"The first case I ever worked with Tim, a submariner had been found in a barrel of acid at Norfolk Naval Base." Tony started. "He was the greenest of the green and gullible to boot. Poor guy believed me when I said someone needed to stay with the crime scene overnight. I got scolded by Agent Todd, but I told her that he was a newbie. It goes with the territory."

That got a twittering of laughter going through the audience. No one was surprised by Tony's abuse of his authority. He still did it.

"Of course, he completely shocked me in that same case by getting a Mom tattoo on his ass to impress Abby. I must say, when Tim McGee wanted to impress someone he didn't half-ass it." Most of the audience groaned at the pun, but Sarah and Ziva were shoving their hands at their mouths to stop the laughter from coming out. "If I had been asked back then if I had realized that I had just met someone who would quickly become an important person in my life, I probably would have laughed in the person's face. I seem to have that habit. Jinxing myself. I mean, in the very case where I met Gibbs when I was still working in Baltimore, I had told my partner I'd rather get the plague than be a Navy cop. Now look at me. I'm the Senior Field Agent for the DC Major Crime Response Team for NCIS and a footnote in every single future journal article about Y. Pestis."

"So when I immediately started hazing Tim in that first case, I was most likely jinxing myself. I expected him to become just another agent who's name I would forget as quickly as I had learned it. I didn't think Abby would  _actually_  go on a date with the poor bugger." Abby threw Tony a rude gesture, glad that being in the front pew kept it hidden from everyone else. Tony gave her a smirk in return, wondering how many others were going to do such things at him during his speech. He wouldn't be surprised if they did.

" We saw him a few more times after that and Tim's fate was sealed the day Gibbs looked at him to say 'You belong to me, now!'. And thus began my long career of corrupting the poor Probie." Tony leaned forward on the podium, letting off a casual feeling. "Tim had the patience of a saint. I'll give him that. Between myself, Agent Todd, and Ziva, the man has had countless pranks and jokes done on him. I lost count of how many bottles of acetone he went through because of us supergluing him to his various office supplies. I know he didn't get Ziva back because she threatened to kill  _both_  of us with said office supplies if we tried, but with me and Agent Todd he began to give back as much as he got."

Tony paused to take a few breaths, feeling slightly guilty that he planned to go down a more emotional path for the rest of his speech.

"I never hesitated to be there for him when something happened at work, though. When Agent T...when  _Kate_  died, he and I searched the roof tops for hours in the rain to find that bullet jacket.  _Anything_  to nail that bastard." Tony threw an apologetic look towards Ziva, who simply nodded in acknowledgment. She couldn't argue against the sins her brother had committed. "Tim had a difficult time of going to see Kate in autopsy after that and I eventually found him talking to her, alone. I joined him for the last part of the 'discussion' and proceeded to get him thoroughly smashed that night. I did the same thing when Tim inadvertently shot an undercover cop from Metro. We were unable to identify which bullet was the kill shot, Tim's or the other shooter's, and it was just tearing him apart. It wasn't often that something from work would affect him as much as those events did, but I sure as hell didn't let him fall."

Tony's gaze dropped to the podium as he twiddled his thumbs, trying by force of will to stop the tears that were beginning to build in his eyes.

"This is the first time since Gibbs' declaration of ownership that Tim hasn't been there for me. No one else can make that claim. None of my ex-partners from my previous jobs. Not Kate. Not Abby. Nor Ducky. Or Jimmy." Tony stubbornly rubbed away the single tear that managed to escape. "Not even Ziva or Gibbs. Everyone else, at some point or another, has either left or failed to realize the significance of the situation I was in. But not Tim. We mourned over Kate together. When Gibbs left, he stepped up as my Senior Field Agent. When Ziva left, he gladly picked up the extra work and took up the job as my primary partner. He was the only one to maintain constant communication with me when the team was broken up for a mole hunt. Tim was even there when my old partner from Baltimore was discovered murdered."

Various looks of guilt or sadness appeared on the faces of the rest of Team Gibbs. They all knew the history of the team from the past ten years. None of them, though, considered looking at each event through the eyes of someone else on the team. Their ignorance led to Tony explaining his and Tim's loyalty to each other in a very succinct manner. Tim was  _there_  when no one else was.

"Tim definitely took the meaning of family to a whole different level. Everyone always talks about the incident with Sarah when we first saw his brotherly wrath as the prime example of his loyalty to his family, but they haven't seen any the other events or completely disregard them. Jimmy superglue incident comes to mind. When a deranged fan of his threatened to kill Abby, Tim lied right to the man's face to save her life. He let himself go sleep deprived in his effort to assist Gibbs when the man got injured on the job. And no one else was there to hear the sailor-worthy obscenities Tim was spewing at the terrorists in Somalia before we found out that Ziva was still alive."

"So I am unquestionably  _proud_  to call Tim my closest friend and a brother. Because that is what he was. A brother. He..." Tony gasped as a sob half escaped, slapping his hands up one his mouth to prevent any further noise as he closed his eyes tightly. Ziva partially rose from her seat in anticipation, sensing that she would have to do for Tony what he had done for her at the end of her own speech. The rest of the audience watched on with deep frowns, finally understanding the pain Tony must be feeling if he was unable to reign in his emotions. He was a man known for witty remarks and scathing humor when faced with the death of someone he knew. Not for openly weeping in front of a crowd that he only knew a small percentage of. They all jumped slightly when Tony suddenly slammed his hands back down onto the podium as he turned to directly address Tim's photo. "I  _love_ you, Tim, and I wish to  _God_  you had just come to that damn ship with the rest of us."

That was Ziva's cue to stand up the rest of the way and rush to Tony as the man succumbed to his emotions for the first time since his initial reaction the day of the accident. Sarah was quick to follow, getting pulled into a tight grasp by Tony as Ziva hugged the both of them. Swallowing hard, Mrs. McGee stood up and began to whisper to the people that there would be a short break with refreshments in the church basement before they continued on with the open mic. Seeing how Sarah, Tony, and Ziva were handling themselves was making her consider the idea that her and her husband's pain at losing their son was not the worst pain being felt by Tim's death.

As everyone began to slowly get up and wander either out into the main entrance area or down into the basement as ordered by Mrs. McGee, Abby sat stock still in her seat. A hollow feeling was beginning to grow in the pit of her stomach. Tony and Ziva had known Tim better than she did. They didn't go into that much detail, but it was quite obvious to anyone who knew the team. And she knew the team. Tony and Ziva breaking down in the middle of the Bull Pen, surrounded by coworkers, was understandable. They knew everyone to some degree. But that the two most emotionally closed off people she knew, after Gibbs, were letting themselves bawl in front of complete strangers told Abby something that had never crossed her mind before. Not only did they know Tim better than her, but they were  _closer_ to Tim than she was. And his death was hitting them a hell of a lot harder than it was her.

"Abbs?" Gibbs whispered to her, wondering why she wasn't moving yet. Jumping at the sudden interruption of her thoughts, Abby inhaled sharply and stood up.

"It's nothing, Gibbs." She could handle this. Tim may have no longer felt as close to her as he once had been, and it had certainly been years since either of them were romantically attracted to one another, but he had been her geek. That was one claim Abby had above the others. Tim was Her Geek. It was the one thing he had been the entire time they had known each other and Abby was going to cherish the thought.

"You sure, Abbs?" Gibbs towered over her with her lack of platform boots and Abby couldn't help but feel reassured that, while it may not have been Tim, she was fortunate enough to still have what Tony had lost. Someone who'd  _be there_  for her, no matter what.

"I'm sure." Abby nodded, hugging herself. She felt a bit out of place, not being in her usual goth clothing, but her current outfit had been one of Tim's favorites. It was one of her darker toned business outfits she had on hand for when she was called in as an expert witness in a trial. Abby had often wondered if Tim had only liked it because the flats put her at a height disadvantage when she usually wasn't, but it was now a moot point.

"Alright..." Gibbs looked at her with a bit of concern, not entirely believing her. He didn't push her to talk, though. He knew she would talk when she felt ready to do so. Deciding to afford his agents as much privacy as they could get in the middle of a filled church, Gibbs put a hand at the base of Abby's back and started prodding her towards the doors to head downstairs.


	8. Event Six

Tim stared at the DVD in his hands as he slowly tumbled the case back and forth. There was no special, colorful label on it. There wasn't even a proper title. Just seven numbers, making up a date, were written out in Sharpie on the blurry silver of the disk top. It was all Tim needed to know what was recorded on the disk. His funeral.

Agent Rocco had admitted when he delivered the disk that, had he been in Tim's place, he would want to know how his loved ones honored his final wishes. He went on in a laughing tone about how he wanted an elaborate funeral, with strippers, a rapper, and lots of alcohol, and would pay big money to see his little sister's reaction to such an event. Tim had let out a snort in mild amusement but was more focused on the DVD Agent Rocco had just given him. Sensing Tim's split attention, Agent Rocco fell silent and had gone on to focus on his other duties.

The longer he stayed in the safe house, the more Tim was thankful that Agent Rocco was his primary contact. The man knew how to keep him distracted from his current predicament and was sympathetic when the distractions didn't work. Tim doubted Agent Fisher would have even thought to get him a copy of this DVD. Not that Tim planned on watching it any time soon. As morbid as his own curiosity was, Tim knew he couldn't handle watching the video until he accepted the fact that he couldn't go home. He would have to settle for watching the slide show DVD Agent Rocco had also got for him.

"Agent McGee, your transport is on its way." Speak of the devil. Tim let out a wry smile, looking up to Agent Rocco from his seat on the couch.

"Still no idea where I'm going?"

"Sorry." Rocco shrugged. "Agent Fisher is keeping everything close to the chest. He doesn't want to risk a leak."

"Oh. How fitting, for a stuck up agent such as himself." Tim replied sarcastically, pulling a full laugh out of Rocco. "Well, I'm already packed. Any last things you need my help with in the operation?"

"Nope. Just have a safe plane ride and don't die. There is still a small possibility that we can bring you home when this is all over." Rocco joined Tim on the couch as he spoke.

"I can only hope..." Tim let out in a sigh, his gaze returning to the DVD in his hands. Rocco remained silent for a few moments to let Tim think over everything he was giving up.

"Agent McGee..."

"You should probably be calling me  _Mr. Gray_ , so as to keep me in character. Or at least Mr. McGee. I don't work for NCIS anymore." Tim interrupted. Rocco gave Tim a frown, turning his full body towards the man next to him.

" _Agent_  McGee, it does not matter that you are going into witness protection or how long you'll be gone for. You earned your title and you will be welcomed back to NCIS with open arms when you  _do_  come back. That, I am absolutely sure of." Tim swallowed hard. He knew he deserved the scolding but he couldn't get his mind off the fact that there was the possibility he wouldn't see any of his friends or family again. "Now, as I was saying Agent McGee, we at the Bureau who know that you're still alive are going to sorely miss you. It isn't often that there's an agent at NCIS that we can get along with. I am sure Agents Fornell and Sacks are going to quickly learn just how much buffering you did between them and your team."

"Thank you." Tim set the DVD down on the coffee table and leaned back against the couch cushions, responding on autopilot. Rocco's sudden switch from his usual happy-go-lucky attitude to serious was just making the reality of the situation sink deeper in Tim's stomach. Rocco knew he wouldn't see Tim again any time soon the moment the car drove away from the safe house.

Both men fell silent, not having anything else to say. Agent Rocco wasn't really the one Tim wanted to say his last good byes to and Agent Rocco knew it.

* * *

 

" _Welcome to General Mitchell International Airport!_ " The recording faded into the background roar of the airport as Tim mechanically went through the process of collecting his few pieces of luggage from the baggage claim. Wisconsin. The FBI had sent him to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  _Dogma_  references were already pushing their way to the forefront of his mind. He was Matt Damon, Tony was Ben Affleck, and Milwaukee was hell because he couldn't go home. All he needed was a Gibbs version of Alan Rickman popping in to tell a cynical Ziva that she was the last scion and needed to stop him and Tony from getting to a church in New Jersey. And, of course, Ducky and Jimmy were the two Prophets while Abby was Serendipity. Would that make Fornell Rufus and Sacks Azrael?

Shaking his head, taking that reference  _way_  too far, Tim turned his attention to the people around him. He needed to find the one holding a sign that said 'THOMAS GRAY'. It had to be the least imaginative undercover name to ever exist, but it wasn't like Tim could argue. At least they picked a first name he technically already went by. A bright yellow poster with said name caught Tim's eye when a group of people dispersed, pulling him in.

"Yes, that's me." He said to the young woman holding the poster. She grinned at him, lowering the poster with one hand as she used the other to push a lock of her platinum blonde hair behind her ear.

"Greetings, Mr.  _Gray_ , and welcome to Milwaukee." Her emphasis on the last name told Tim she was fully informed on who he really was. "I'm Special Agent Alice Turner. I know coming to Wisconsin the the middle of Winter isn't exactly ideal, we're colder than an ex-wife's heart this time of the year, but I'm sure you'll quickly find something to enjoy about being here."

"I don't mind being stuck indoors." Tim insisted.

"You say that now." Agent Turner smirked. "But you're in the warmth of the airport. Wait until we actually get outside." She pinned the poster under one of her arms as she slipped on a head band, prompting Tim to drop his bags and rapidly put on the extra Winter gear he had to bring along. Apparently a simple coat, hat, and gloves weren't good enough for Wisconsin. As he looked Agent Turner up and down, though, perhaps the warning was due. Her Winter coat looked to be far thicker than the one he had used back in DC, her scarf was so fluffy that it made her look like she didn't have a neck, her boots were padded enough that Tim would bet that she was actually a couple inches shorter than she currently appeared to be, and Agent Turner was now pulling out  _another_  pair of gloves from her pockets even though she was already wearing a pair.

"All that and you only cover your ears?" Turner laughed at Tim's disbelief.

"Never get between a woman and her fashion sense, Mr. Gray. It took me forever to get my hair the way I like it. I'm not going to ruin it by getting hat hair. I'd rather suffer the cold. Though, you're right. You should probably put on a hat. Did they give you one in DC?" Tim pulled the hat in question out of his carry-on bag to show her that they did give him one, putting it on when Turner motioned at him to do so.

"I'll remember that bit of advice for future reference." Tim picked up his bags again, following Agent Turner as she turned on her heel and led the way out into the parking lot. He barely held in his gasp when he hit the sudden wall of cold air just outside the entrance. Ok, everyone else was right. Winter in Wisconsin was  _cold_. If he ever got to go back home, Tim would have to remember the 'ex-wife's heart' comment Agent Turner made so he could accurately describe his time here. Only Gibbs would understand it, sure, but the humor of the comment would not be lost on the others.

"The house we are putting you in is bought, paid for, and in your name. Bills and expenses like water, electricity, gasoline, and groceries are covered by the FBI, so do not worry about those. We will be giving you a special debit card to use to pay for all of that." Turner began to update Tim once they were out of earshot of anyone near the airport entrance. "You will, of course, be given a weekly stipend to spend how you wish, so do not feel obligated to look for a job right away as you settle in. You will continue to receive said stipend even  _after_  you get a job, if you choose to look for one, as it'll essentially be your paycheck from us. As you discussed with Agents Fisher and Rocco, we will occasionally ask for your assistance in cases. I am your primary contact in the local office and will stay in constant contact with you, so feel free to start calling me Alice. I leave it to you to figure out how to fit me into your cover story. The house only has basic furnishings since you're free to decorate the place how you wish. We are currently trying to get as many duplicates of your furniture from DC as we can so you have something to start off with, but we make no guarantees."

"That...that's fine." Tim chattered, wondering how Agent Turner was able to speak without her own teeth clicking together. They had finally arrived at the sedan Turner had driven to the airport and she opened the trunk for Tim so he could put his bags in it. He happily dropped the bags in the empty space, tightly hugging himself as he walked around to the passenger's side door. Agent Turner closed the trunk with a thunk as she pressed the button on her controller to unlock the doors, smirking at Tim's actions as she went up to the driver's side door and got in. She quickly turned on the heat as soon as she started the car, deciding to wait a few moments to let the car heat up.

"I stopped by the house to double check that everything was in order and turn on the heat before coming here. It's been long enough that the whole house should be warm, now." Turner gave Tim an amused smile. "I have a feeling you're going to be holing yourself up inside until you push yourself to try handling the cold for extended periods of time."

"Definitely. I thought Fisher was joking when he gave me all this Winter wear." Tim shared a smile, glad to finally warm up.

"I've never known that man to take a joke, let along make one." Turner muttered as she backed the car out of its parking space, pulling a laugh out of Tim.

"True." Tim admitted, remembering that very first phone conversation he had with the man. Fisher had to be one of the stuffiest people he knew. "So,  _Alice_ , is gasoline is also being covered as a necessity then it's safe for me to assume that I also have a car?"

Turner grinned at Tim's test use of her first name. She could tell that being Tim's contact for the FBI was going to be an entertaining assignment.

"This one, actually. My own car is back at your house."

"Oh, so I can nose about without feeling guilty." Tim replied, immediately opening the glove compartment to prove his point. Turner shook her head in amusement.

"And Agent Rocco expressed concern that you wouldn't be able to go out and meet new people."

"My partner back at NCIS is the nosiest human to ever exist. You learn a thing or two after spending a few years with him." Tim explained, closing the glove compartment. "Though, that reminds me. Do I have any restrictions? Jobs I shouldn't apply for, things I shouldn't purchase, the works."

"We don't want you applying for another law enforcement job, so stay clear of the local leos. You can go for a computer-related career, though, so have fun with that. As for  _items_  you can own, I can't think of anything you wouldn't be allowed to have." Turner scrunched her nose, trying to remember if there  _were_  any ownership restrictions for Tim.

"So I can purchase personal weapons."

"Huh?" Turner was a bit surprised Tim was immediately asking about being allowed to have personal protection. Most of the previous people she had dealt with in Witness Protection hadn't even wanted her to wear her own gun on their property for at least a couple months.

"Brownings, Colts, Rugers...you know. Guns and knives people buy for personal ownership." Tim's lips twitched at the irony of his request. A handful of years ago and he wouldn't have even humored the idea of asking about personal weapons.

"I can't think of a reason why you  _wouldn't_  be able to buy those." Turner started up again when her brain finally registered Tim's question. "We gave you a spotless record."

"Good to know. I already had one."

"That's not what I meant." Turner immediately corrected herself in response to Tim's sarcasm. "You're not a felon we're giving protection because you provided State's evidence. You're a federal agent with a hit on his head. I'm actually surprised we're not  _giving_ you a gun. But I'll do some checking when I get back to the office just to make sure. Unless Fisher put a block on you being allowed to get things like that, you should be home free."

"Great." Satisfied that he had suitably messed with Turner enough, Tim began to fiddle with the radio. He scanned from station to station, not lasting more than a few seconds on each before he'd move on to more static and another few seconds of a station.

" _Tim..._ _ **khsssh**_ _...don't give up..._ _ **khsssh**_ _..._ " Tim tilted his head, wondering what that garbled commercial or song had been about, before returning to scanning the various stations of the Milwaukee area.


	9. Event Seven

Tony sat on his couch, staring at the item on his coffee table. A typewriter. The typewriter, along with McGee's surprisingly extensive movie collection, was all Tony wanted when the team helped the McGee's clean out Tim's apartment and put everything into storage for Sarah.

He could honestly say he wasn't too astonished by what the others had decided to take. Tony, himself, took the obvious options. Abby had taken Tim's computers and Xbox along with all the extras that went along with them. Ziva was quick to grab Tim's personal collection of weapons, consisting of all the knives he bought to go along with Rule 9 and a single handgun that was locked up in the safe. Ducky retrieved the signed first edition of Deep Six that Tim had displayed on his book case and the partially finished draft of Rock Hollow. Jimmy took the dart board off of Tim's wall. Gibbs had slowly packed up Tim's music collection and antique phonograph before stowing it all away in his truck. All and all, every single one of them took something that represented something they valued in Tim. Tony couldn't think of anything else any of them would have taken.

That didn't change his current situation, though. If the typewriter on his coffee table were a person, Tony felt that it would be glaring at him with a feeling of accusation. He accepted that Tim's death had been an accident. Obviously, they never could have seen it coming. Tony had even stopped blaming himself for not making Tim come with them to the ship that day. It didn't stop him from occasionally thinking that others were going to emotionally lash out at  _him_  since he was closest with Tim out of all of them. He'd been avoiding certain people like the plague because of that. But given his inability to stay away from the  _actual_  plague, perhaps that explained why he kept on running into these people at the Yard and when he was running errands. Awkward exchanges of words was all that had happened so far but the feeling in his gut was still there each time.

A rustling at his door finally had Tony looking away from the typewriter. His eyes darted to his clock, surprising him by how much time had passed since he got home that morning after his meeting with Gibbs and Vance. Tony got up to go open the door for whoever was having trouble with their key.

"Z..." Tony stood aside as Ziva let out a sigh of relief and carried in the bags she was holding.

"Abby has been unbearable all morning, Tony. She expected me to help her set up Tim's computer. Me! I know even less about computers than you do." Ziva immediately started complaining. She dropped the bags on Tony's kitchen table, spinning around and putting her hands on her hips. "How can I help set up a computer when I am more likely to damage it?!"

"Ziva..." Tony started again, his eyes sparkling in amusement at Ziva's exasperation. "Each death affects us all differently. Abby just needs someone to geek out with her to help her process everything."

"But would it not be more prudent for her to ask one of her friends who actually knows computers? I sat there, nodding silently, not understanding a single thing she was saying!" Ziva failed her hands about in irritation before thrusting her arms straight, hands in tight fists, with a melodramatic stomp of her foot. The overly...girly reaction Ziva was allowing herself to express was making it extremely difficult for Tony to keep a straight face. "I was considering taking Bert hostage when she finally said I could leave!"

"That would not have ended well." Tony walked forward to begin emptying the bags of groceries, mentally noting everything Ziva had bought for their dinner that night. He tried to guess her intended recipe by the ingredients in front of him.

"How was the meeting with Gibbs and Director Vance?" Ziva switched topics, her voice dropping the irritated tone it had before. Tony hung his head, pausing in his actions.

"Director Vance is considering his options. Gibbs is arguing to keep the team together, but Vance proved a point. I'm the only one with the issue and, in reality, should have been promoted years ago."

"Meaning?" Ziva stepped closer to Tony, giving him a confused look. He lifted his head to look at her.

"There's enough excess in the budget that Vance wants to create a cold case team at the Yard. He highly hinted at giving me the leadership position, to keep me in DC."

"That is good, Tony." Ziva paused to think over how to express her thoughts on the matter. "When Gibbs left for Mexico and you became our team leader, you did an amazing job. You  _deserve_  a team of your own, Tony. I believe Tim would agree. If the Director offers, you should take the position."

"I feel that if I accept, I'm abandoning Gibbs. I'd be  _willingly_  breaking the team apart." Tony began to argue. Ziva raised a hand and pressed a couple fingers against Tony's lips to silence him.

"Tony. You cannot work under Gibbs forever. Do not force yourself to deal with the pain of working in the Bull Pen just to keep him happy. Gibbs will  _learn_  to work with new agents." Tony remained silent at Ziva's declaration, not having much to argue against that. She was more concerned about him than the status of the team. Ziva gave Tony a small smile before removing her fingers from his lips and patting him on the cheek. "Now go get changed while I put the groceries away. We will go out for lunch."

Tony gave her a sigh of capitulation, dropping a kiss on her forehead before heading to his bedroom. Rolling her eyes, Ziva went about getting the groceries to their correct locations. The dairy products tucked away in the fridge. The pasta and canned goods in their correct cabinets. Everything in its place in a astonishingly organized kitchen.

It was taking Tony longer to get changed than it had for her to put everything away, so Ziva decided to wash the few dishes in the sink from their breakfast that morning. She was in the middle of washing a glass when she happened to glance up at the mirror above the sink, placed there because of the lack of an actual window, and barely managed to keep in her yelp of surprise as she dropped the glass.

"What did you break?" Tony called from his bedroom as the tinkling from the glass shattering reached his ears.

"Just a glass!" Ziva called back, her eyes glued to the mirror. She was afraid to look away. Her training in Mossad taught her that there was much about this world that she did not understand. That she was seeing someone in the mirror that she  _knew_  was not actually behind her was one of them. The face was blurry, hiding the identity of the man from her, but there was enough of a color difference for Ziva to see that the mouth was moving. Her Fight or Flight response kicked in, forcing her to look away for a second. When Ziva's eyes returned to the mirror, the man was no longer there.

"Ready to go?" Tony appeared in the entrance way, buttoning the last few buttons of his shirt. Forcing a smile on her face, as not to allude to her previous shock from what she had seen, Ziva nodded. She would worry about the man in the mirror later.


	10. Settling In

"I know this isn't exactly the nicest neighborhood, but it's unlikely the Lambert's would look for you here if they track your location to Milwaukee. Our priority is your safety." Alice frowned slightly as the two of them got out of the car. Tim glanced around at the other houses in the vicinity, slightly shocked at how close they were built to each other. He was probably taller than the distance between each house.

"I'll just make those personal weapons be an immediate must-buy." Tim finally replied as he pulled his bags out of the now-open trunk. "Along with a home security system..."

"Already have one installed." Alice slammed the trunk closed and led the way up the steps to the front door at least a half story above the ground. "Priority. Safety. All that jazz."

Tim had to admit, the inside of the house was very cozy. After stepping out of the small entrance area and into the living room, he was able to see all the way through the house to the back door and out the small window in the back hallway. Alice had been right when she said the furnishing was meager but Tim didn't mind all that much. As he followed her through the living room and dining room into the kitchen, he was mentally seeing where different types of furniture could be placed. It was...oddly elating to have a blank slate to work with in terms of home decoration.

"The two rooms off the dining room are considered bedrooms on the floor plan. So is this one." Alice pointed to the room off the kitchen that was near the doorway they just walked through, explaining the layout. "This room on the other side of the sink is, obviously, the bathroom. The door next to it is the pantry. The whole downstairs floor plan mirrors this floor, bathroom included."

"I'm noticing a lack of doors on the bedrooms." Tim commented with a bemused look.

"Yeah. That's Polish architecture for you." Alice let out a laugh. "This house was bought with the intent of only a single person or a couple using it. We didn't worry about the lack of doors."

"Point taken."

"There used to be two outside entrances to the downstairs, making the house a kind of duplex, but the FBI sealed those doors when the house was bought. They can technically be reopened if you want. A spiral staircase was installed in the back hallway to what used to be the lower entrance way, making that particular door a bit pointless to reopen, though." Alice continued. "The rear entrance ways, both lower and upper, were also insulated to make them properly part of the house. They were sort of like enclosed porches before."

"Do I need to worry about equalizing inside and outside air pressure every time I leave and return?" Tim asked with a touch of sarcasm, chuckling over all the modifications to the house Alice had just told him about.

"If certain people had their way, you would." Alice retorted back with a smirk before continuing. "The back hallway also has the stairway up into the attic. There's a bedroom up there, as well. The garage out back is a simple garage, not wired for electricity. I think that about covers the layout of the property. The fridge and pantry are filled with some basics. You'll have to snoop through the cabinets to figure out what was put where when the place was stocked up."

"Thank you, Alice." Tim set his few bags down on the floor, looking around. This was home...for who knew how long.

"It's not a problem. Have you given any thought on what you want your background story to be? It's definitely one of the few blessings in this situation." Alice pulled off both of her pairs of gloves and her head band, dropping them onto the kitchen table. Her coat and scarf soon followed, being draped over one of the chairs.

"I'm not exactly going to have an easy time hiding my computer abilities, so I was thinking perhaps making me a hacker. I'm here in Milwaukee, playing nice with the FBI so I don't get sent to prison." Tim methodically pulled off his own winter wear. "That way I can explain away any visits I will have to make to the office without really lying to anyone. That would help when I find a job, and I will definitely be looking. It would also explain why my new best friend is an FBI field agent."

"Sounds like a plan." Alice let out an amused smirk. "Since we're  _best friends_ , perhaps I should show you around to my friends. I'm sure they would be more than happy to help you get into the local social scene. Not to mention they're your particular brand of strange."

"Oh, really." Tim rose his eyebrows as he sank onto the nearest chair. "And just what is my 'brand' of strange?"

"Miss Sciuto's reputation precedes her. I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you, but let's just say my civilian friends would get along with her." Alice took a seat, herself, opening the large envelope that had been on the table when they arrived. She pulled out various pieces of paperwork that Tim recognized as being his background information. Many places were blank, waiting to be filled in.

"Then I look forward to meeting them." He pulled one form towards himself to look it over.

"Just let me know when you're up to wandering out into the cold again." Alice gave him a smile. This had to be one of the most unorthodox ways of going about Witness Protection, Tim had to admit that much to himself, but part of him was glad that he wasn't being dropped in Milwaukee and promptly forgotten about. He could already tell that having Agent Turner as a friend was going to be an interesting experience and the small connection she provided to his real identity would probably be a lot more help in the long run than he realized. "Now let's get this damn paperwork out of the way."

"Sounds like a plan." Tim repeated Alice's earlier words with a grin, giving her an innocent expression when she threw a look at him. Yeah, knowing her was going to be extremely interesting.


	11. Insomnia

Tim stretched out on the couch on his side, staring at his living room wall as it bathed in the glow from the street light just across the road. It was nearly midnight and he was having a serious case of insomnia. Alice had left hours ago to get his paperwork filed back at the office, leaving Tim by himself for the first time in days. It was an unsettling feeling.

"I never thought I would have to get used to being alone again." Tim called out to the empty room. He had no television to rot his brain enough to make him tired. No computer to keep him occupied so the hours didn't seem as long. In a nutshell, it was dreadful.

A passing car with sub-woofers loud enough to vibrate the whole room prompted Tim to stand up and retreat through the dining room into the kitchen. He had been told that he'd have to snoop through the cabinets to figure out where everything was. Now seemed like a good time to do that. Flipping on the light above the sink, Tim settled down on the floor to work on the drawers and cabinets on either side of the oven.

"Simple..." Tim muttered to himself as he set aside a large, metal colander thirty minutes later. He had all six drawers and both cabinets emptied, having moved on to categorizing everything into three groups: Simple, Complex, and What the Hell is This? Tim was surprised that the Simple and Complex piles were balancing out. Someone on the team that stocked up the house was obviously a dilettante in the kitchen. Tim had spent the first ten minutes building up those two groups when a strange item prompted Tim to create a pile of items he had no idea how to use. Thankfully, that particular pile was small. It only held four items. But there was enough for Tim to decide that he'd leave them out on the kitchen table after he cleaned up and would ask Alice about them the next time he saw her. They may be used to make something regional.

Tim decided to call it quits, though, when he spent three minutes wondering why the FBI agents put a caulking gun in the kitchen cabinet before he realized that it was Jumbo Jerky Works gun. Whoever bought the awkward hunk of plastic clearly had insomnia, because Tim only knew what the thing was from early morning infomercials. It didn't take Tim long to clean everything up and he was soon heading to the room he had picked to be his bedroom.

Stretching out on his temporary bed, just until he was able to go out to get one of his liking, Tim decided that it was time to continue the old game he played in his DC apartment. Count the cracks in the ceiling and see how high he could get before a noise outside was loud enough to catch his attention. He last high score was twenty.


	12. Event Eight

"You know, Alice, when I agreed to your offer to show me the city, I didn't mean to use me as a beast of burden during a shopping trip." Tim slouched into the seat Alice had shoved him towards, moaning in protest. The blonde woman glanced over her shoulder as she let out a laugh.

"Tom, what better way to see how the locals act than to spend some time in a mall? Just be happy I picked Southridge and not Mayfair." Alice turned back to the shoe rack she had been looking at and focused on the heels. It still seemed a bit weird to Tim to hear her say 'Tom' instead of his actual name, but he knew he would have to get used to it. "That place can be a nuthouse."

"Sure..." Tim pulled the bags off his arms and let them settle into a pile next to the couch, mentally thanking the owners of the store that they had seating in what Tony had labeled the 'Girlfriend Hotspots'.

"Anyway, I partly lied. This mission has multiple objectives." Alice muttered just loud enough for Tim to hear, pulling another groan from him.

"What is it?" He retorted. A few near by customers threw him looks of amusement, correctly thinking him a shopping victim from the look of irritation on his face.

"My close group of friends are going to be meeting us here at the mall." Alice bit her lip as she turned around to look at Tim again with what she hoped was an innocent expression. "I told them I made a new friend through work and I wanted to introduce him. I'll leave it to you to tell them your 'hacker avoiding prison' cover story."

"You're lucky I said I didn't have a problem meeting them." Tim thought back to the day he arrived a few weeks previous and how Alice described her friends as 'his particular brand of strange'. He was honestly surprised it took Alice this long to arrange a meeting. She found it quite hilarious when Tim holed himself up in the house that first week and didn't wander out that far when he finally stepped outside again. Suffice to say, Tim wouldn't be surprised if the cashiers at the Walgreen's and El Rey Foodmart near his house knew him by sight by now. He went to each store daily instead of doing a proper grocery shopping trip with his car.

"Yep! And they're rather excited to meet you. I don't really talk about work that often with them, for obvious reasons, so meeting someone that I met through work is a whole new experience for them." Alice prattled on, returning to her shoe browsing.

"If they don't know you through the Bureau, what do they do and how did they meet you?" Tim inquired curiously. From what Alice had mentioned about her friends so far, they were her  _primary_  group of friends, but she didn't seem the type to keep her personal and work lives separate. It was security clearance that was doing that.

"Through school and each other." Alice gave up looking for a pair of heels she would like and joined Tim on the couch. "Two are psychologists, like me. I met the female one through mutual psychology classes at Alverno College when we were undergraduates. We met the guy at UW-Milwaukee when all three of us went there for our doctorates. He went into Experimental Psychology, while she and I went into Clinical."

"Yay for college-age friendships." Tim commented with a smirk. Alice rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Of the other three, the guy and one of the girls went to MSOE for a B.S. in Computer Engineering. The last girl went to Alverno, as well, for a B.S. in Interactive Media Design."

"Am I going to get names?" Tim joked, wondering how he was going to keep track of everyone after everything Alice just told him.

"When they get here." The two of them stared each other down for a few moments before Tim sighed in capitulation. Alice wasn't going to share.

"How did you three psychologists meet the other three?" Tim decided to ask, instead.

"The guys and Miss Interactive Media Design have been friends since they were in elementary. They sort of unintentionally brought everyone together. Mr. MSOE and Miss MSOE met in mutual classes, and have been dating since their final year. Don't ask me why they aren't married. I don't know." Alice rambled on, beginning to twirl a lock of her hair. "Dr. Experimental and Miss IMD actually  _are_  married but keep their names different for professional reasons. Dr. Clinical is still single, though, like me. We just seem to be too picky."

"I'll bet!" Tim laughed, shaking his head. He stood up and collected most of the bags, making Alice take the rest. "If you're not going to continue looking then I'm making the executive decision that we go get lunch in the food court."

"Ugh. Fine, we'll go get lunch. I know better than to drag you into Victoria's Secret when it's just the two of us." Tim looked at Alice incredulously, pulling laughter out of her, and shook his head before heading towards the store entrance.

* * *

"Ali!" A feminine shriek filled the air, causing Alice and Tim to look up from their meals.

"Portia! Clark!" Alice laughed, launching herself from her seat towards the couple walking towards the table. Alice hugged Portia tightly before pressing a kiss onto Clark's cheek, grinning at both of them. "I was wondering who was going to arrive first! The others have yet to get here. Come, come, come."

Alice pulled her friends towards the table, giving Tim only a few moments to look the couple up and down. Clark was a short haired blonde who looked to be a few inches shorter than Tim, himself, but was just as lanky. Portia, a long-haired brunette, was far shorter. Tim guessed 5'3". She was also a bit on the curvy side, clearly having a healthy appetite. Tim would never have guessed their professions, though. Both were decked out in what Tim affectionately called 'Geek Gear' under their winter clothing; Superhero shirts, jeans, and converse shoes.

"So this is the new mystery friend." Clark chuckled as Tim stood up to shake hands.

"Yes. Clark, Portia, this is Thomas Gray. Tom, this is Dr. Clark Essex and Portia Dubois. Dr. Experimental and Miss Interactive Media Design." Alice gestured back and forth rapidly.

"Miss Inter...what?" Portia tilted her head in confusion as Clark's face scrunched up in silent laughter.

"I didn't tell Tom any of your names ahead of time. Just how we met and what we all studied in college." Alice grinned mischievously, sliding back into her seat across from Tim. Tim returned to his own seat, motioning to two of the free chairs at the large table he and Alice had nabbed when they first entered the food court for Clark and Portia to sit at.

"Oooooh, you're feisty today." Clark shot at her, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. "Anyway...Tom! Nice to see that Alice's friends from work aren't stuck up stiffs. I can tell you'll fit in with us quite well."

"Thanks." Tim replied wryly, glancing down at the large, 8-bit Mario on his own t-shirt. "It's a bit strange meeting new people outside of the Bureau right away. I haven't even been in Milwaukee a month."

"Then you lucked out with Ali! She's always been friendly." Portia chimed.

"Let's hope for the newbie here that she becomes a little  _friendlier_." A new voice spoke up from behind the woman in question. Clark and Portia burst into laughter while Tim's face turned slightly pink. The new person was obvious the other guy in the group of friends.

"Edmund Crawford!" Alice snapped as she turned around in her seat to glare at the black-haired man. Edmund smirked down at her from his towering 5'11" frame, but adopted a sheepish look when the short ginger woman next to him hit his stomach with the back of her hand.

"What have I told you about behaving, Eddie?" The woman asked, letting out a defeated sigh. It was obvious that Edmund frequently made salacious comments. Edmund ran a hand through his hair and gave her a grin.

"Behaving outside the bedroom leads to lots of misbehaving inside it?"

"God!" The woman exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she grabbed the empty seat on Tim's right. "Why am I still with you?"

"Honestly, Reg? No idea..." Edmund muttered as he took the seat next to her. Alice rolled her eyes at the exchange, leaning forward in her seat to see Tim better.

"Tom, this is Edmund Crawford and Regan McKay. Mr. and Miss MSOE. Edmund, Regan, this is Thomas Gray." Alice repeated her earlier gestures back and forth before returning to her food.

"Hello, Tom. It's nice to finally meet someone from Alice's work." Regan smiled, tucking a lock of her long red hair behind her ear.

"Yeah. Finally!" Edmund reached around Regan to shake hands with Tim, his grin still on his face. "The only thing Alice has told us about you is that you're good with computers. Just how good is this 'good'?"

"I would say I'm decent." Tim responded. Alice snorted through her mouthful of food, quickly swallowing it before Tim could argue.

"Don't let him talk himself down, Edmund. Tom here has a Masters in Computer Forensics from MIT." After Alice's declaration, Edmund and Regan turned to Tim with awe-filled expressions.

"MIT?" Regan whispered.

"Masters?" Edmund repeated in a quite tone. Tim shifted uneasily in his seat, glaring at Alice as she, Portia, and Clark looked on in amusement.

"Yes. I went to MIT and went all the way to Masters."

"Duuuuuuude..." Edmund let out with a small scoff in disbelief. "You could be making six figures in Silicon Valley with a degree like that! Why are you holing yourself up in  _Wisconsin_?"

"Don't diss Wisconsin, Edmund. It's our  _home_." A short, brunette woman inserted as she arrived at the table.

"Jay!" Portia squealed and jumped up from her seat, followed by Alice and Regan as all three of them hugged what Tim was assuming was the last person to arrive. All four women exchanged greetings as Clark and Edmund made faces at each other, Tim being left there with a bemused expression. Alice had told him the whole group saw each other rather regularly so their enthusiasm at seeing each other was quite entertaining.

"So, we finally get to meet Alice's new friend from work." 'Jay' said when the women separated as returned to their seats, taking the empty chair on Tim's left for herself. Clark gave her a put-out look for leaving the lone empty chair at the table between the two of them but she merely waved him off. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dr. Jade Green. And yes, my parents were that cruel."

"Pleasure..." Tim laughed, nodding at her in acknowledgment. "Thomas Gray."

"Ah! Another color name! At least I'm not alone in that aspect, anymore."

"But it made you special!" Edmund whined through chuckles, ducking the head slap Regan had tried to do as Jade let out a few laughs and rolled her eyes. A twinge of familiarity went through Tim's gut, telling him that he has  _seen_  these people before now that he's seeing them all at once, but he couldn't figure out where. The confused look on his face didn't go unnoticed, though.

"What is it, Tom?" Alice asked. "You seem a bit flustered."

Having everyone's attention zoned in on him caused Tim's face to grow a bit pink again, but he shook his head to try and cast off the embarrassment.

"It's just...I would  _swear_  that I've seen you before, Dr. Green. I just don't know where. I've never been to Wisconsin before moving here." Tim explained.

"Oh." Jade let out, her eyebrows raising in amusement. "I see Alice told you next to nothing about us."

"Not a word." Alice confirmed, but she went ignored as Jade continued speaking.

"If you happen to enjoy paranormal television then you've probably seen me. In fact, you would have seen all of us, sans Alice." Tim did a double-take when the term 'paranormal television' crossed Jade's lips, remembering exactly where he had seen them before.

"You're the paranormal psychologist from  _Apparitions_ on the SyFy Channel. I hadn't realized that you guys were based here in Milwaukee."

"Yeah, we don't do too much work here. We mostly travel when we're filming." Jade remarked.

"Working on that show has definitely gained me a lot more clients than I expected when I graduated." Portia added. "Apparently a lot of people out there like my designs for the opening and closing credits."

"Though we do get our fair share of letters from people who think we all, especially Jade, should see a psychologist, ourselves." Clark stated.

"Well, I do see and speak with dead people." Jade snickered. "Even you guys had difficultly believing me at first."

"Are  _you_ a believer?" Regan asked Tim, leaning towards him in a pseudo intimidating manner with a grin on her face.

"Ummm...ummm..." Tim stuttered, beginning to lean away from Regan but stopping before he bumped into Jade. "I don't know?"

"Good answer. That'll give us the chance to convince you." Edmund inserted as he placed a hand on Regan's shoulder and pulled her back. Tim righted himself, nodding slightly at Edmund's comment.

"Ignore them." Jade said, grabbing his attention. "They like to screw around with the skeptical. They find it quite entertaining. Now, what were you guys all talking about when I arrived? Something about making six figures in Silicon Valley?"

Jade's attempt at changing the topic successfully diverted Edmund and Regan's attention away from Tim's unsure belief in the paranormal, making them adopt looks of awe again.

"Tommy boy here has a Masters in Computer Forensics from MIT, Jade. MIT!" Edmund continued on with his earlier ranting. "Six figures is a low end estimate!"

"Why on earth are you working for the FBI when you could be doing anything you want?" Regan asked. Tim exchanged a look with Alice, who simply made a small gesture with her hand to say that he should go ahead with his planned background history.

"Actually, I  _was_  doing what I wanted, Miss McKay." Tim began. "That led to me get arrested and having to play nice with the FBI to avoid prison."

"You're a hacker?" Portia joined the conversation, her eyes wide from shock.

"Yes, he is." Alice answered her. "But he's too good to immediately send to prison. The Bureau wants hackers like him on our side, so relocating him and putting him to work was our best option."

"Not that the relocation matters much. I have no living family and my so-called friends are the reason why I got caught in the first place." Tim sneered, playing the part. "And I've yet to actually do any work at the office. When am I going to get called in?"

"When we have something for you, Tom. I've told you this before. I'm sorry that the Milwaukee office doesn't have that much computer work to do but it cannot be helped. Any work you end up doing will most likely be requests from other offices." Alice explained with a sigh, making it look like this was a conversation she and Tim had had multiple times already.

"So you're technically no working." Jade interrupted in an attempt to defuse the 'argument'. The others looked back and forth between Tim and Alice with baffled expressions, unsure on how to react.

"Not yet, no. I can look for work elsewhere but it's with the understanding that the FBI gets priority when they require my assistance." Tim replied, turning away from Alice. A wicked look appeared on Jade's face, causing Tim to lean away from her slightly. It reminded him of the look Alice had given him right before asking him to come shopping with her.

"Well, if you truly are an expert with computers than I could use your assistance. Edmund and Regan are too busy with their business to be of much help."

"What is it?" Tim asked. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I'm consolidating my private practice with the  _Apparitions_  headquarters. Between my patients and all the services I provide through our headquarters, I can't really afford to travel between buildings anymore. I need help setting up all the equipment to my liking once it all has been moved from the old locations, as well as someone to help run headquarters while I'm in a session." Jade explained. Her mischievous look turned sweet, as if she was hoping it would help convince Tim to agree.

"Help run...what?" Tim understood needing help to set up computer equipment, especially when multiple places were consolidating into one, but the second half of Jade's offer was difficult to wrap his head around.

"When we're not filming, headquarters is sort of like a community center for paranormal investigators in the area. We provide a place for people to meet up, advice on how to do things, as well as sell equipment. Getting someone to help run it will give me the ability to provide a wider range of time slots for patients." The others all nodded along silently as Jade explained further, showing that her plans at consolidation have been in the works for a little while now. "The network has also been saying they want someone with technical knowledge at headquarters when we  _are_  filming since Edmund and Regan are out in the field."

"Jade's right. You seem to be the perfect person for the job. It's like you were  _destined_  to come here." Clark commented with a smirk. Tim threw Alice a look, who shrugged, before letting out a sigh.

"I guess I could give it a try." Tim replied, turning back to Jade.

"It's a deal. We'll discuss things more a bit later." Jade grinned and stuck out her hand, Tim shaking it to seal the deal. Tim was about to drop Jade's hand when he noticed that her face had adopted a glazed look, causing him to look towards Alice in worry. The blonde woman let out a hiss when she saw Jade's expression, the others beginning to snicker.

"Ok, I should have told you this ahead of time. Jade's sensitivity to the paranormal causes her to sometimes 'zone out' when someone from the other side decides they want to speak with her. Normally they at least wait until she's at home, though. I don't know why they're bothering her now." Alice said.

"Maybe someone from his family is taking advantage of the situation." Portia pondered, pulling laughter from Clark, Edmund, and Regan. The worried expression didn't leave Tim's face as he continued to look at Alice, but she gave him a look that said they would address that issue later. Tim jumped slightly when Jade suddenly let go of his hand, causing him to turn his attention to her. The glazed look was gone, but a skeptical one was in its place as Jade looked him up and down.

"Who from the other side wanted your attention this time?" Edmund asked through titters.

"No one of importance." Jade immediately replied, not removing her eyes from Tim. "Just some random person for someone else here in the mall. They were going on about  _Nutter Butters_."

Color drained from Tim's face when the table exploded into another round of laughter. Jade's answer to Edmund was very telling. Who ever she 'spoke' to told her who he really was and had mentioned his addiction to Nutter Butters. That was a very short list, as well, since he developed that addiction after moving to Norfolk. He threw another look at Alice, who had now adopted a worried expression of her own. Before Tim could say anything, though, Jade snapped at the others to shut up and changed the subject. She wasn't going to confront him just yet.


	13. Conversations

"So..." Jade began, her eyes focused on Tim. The whole group had moved into the main area of the mall, and Jade and Tim were sitting on a bench as the others were in line at the Starbucks kiosk. "You're addicted to Nutter Butters?"

"Kate gave you excellent information to use to make a believer out of me." Tim cut straight to the point, taking a guess at who spoke to Jade from the other side. Lying to Jade now would be useless as she would see right through it.

"Yes, she did. I must admit, though, that I'm surprised to finally meet someone who knew Kate when she was alive." That caught Tim's attention and he turned to look at Jade face-to-face.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm a conduit between the land of the living and the realm of the dead,  _Tim_ ," Jade reminded him of what she was. "That can be quite dangerous if the wrong spirit wishes to use me. They could permanently possess me against my will if they're strong enough. It means I require protection. Kate is one of what I like to call my 'spirit guardians'."

"'Spirit guardian'? Sounds complex," Tim admitted. Even though he and Abby spent loads of time together, he never actually paid attention when she would get ranting about anything paranormal. He was usually busy working.

"It certainly is. It's why I have about five or six at any one time. They make sure spirits possessing me for contact with loved ones actually leave me when their time is up. They make sure poltergeists and demons don't make it into me to begin with. They fetch other spirits that I need to speak with, as well as any information I may need about any of my paranormal clients. They also make sure any curses and hexes placed on me don't actually work," Jade explained for Tim.

"I see." Tim scrunched his face as he sorted through the mass of information he was just given. "How does Kate fit into that? How did you come by her in the first place?"

"Kate chose me for some reason. She never got around to explaining it to me. Time in the spirit realm doesn't pass in the same way it does here, though. It is possible she knew you would end up here and decided to attach herself to me so she could speak with you after your arrival. I would not be at all surprised if that were the case. Kate speaks very highly of her team from NCIS." Jade gave Tim a smile to show that she wasn't that concerned about Kate's reasoning.

"Does that happen a lot? Spirits speak with you and you don't know why?" Tim felt uneasy at the idea that anyone dead could approach Jade and tell her anything. He wasn't going to ignore the fact that he had created many enemies over the years, with many of them dead.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I believe them all. They're just as capable as us when it comes to lying and deceiving. Just because they're dead doesn't change that," Jade said. She turned to look at the others as they neared the front of the line, crossing her arms tightly. A frown grew on her face. "When I was a child, before I had any guardians, I used to speak with spirits on a regular basis without thinking about the consequences. My great-grandfather from my mother's side contacted me and... let's just say that seeing a Nazi's bigotry first hand is not a pleasant experience for an 11-year-old. My father's side of my family is Jewish. My great-grandmother on that side died at Auschwitz. The confrontation I had with my great-grandfather is what led to my first guardian latching on to me."

"Was it another family member?" Tim asked. He focused on the others as well, sensing that looking at Jade wasn't the thing to do at that moment.

"No," Jade answered. "The name she gave me is Shannon. Never gave me a last name. I think she was a military brat when she was alive because her vocabulary is littered with military jargon. You'd like her. Shannon is just as feisty as Kate."

"What did she do to your great-grandfather?"

"Banished him. Haven't heard a word from him since. Shannon is quite effective at what she does."

"That's good," Tim commented. Noticing that the others were finally finished with their caffeine hunting, he stood up and lightly prodded Jade on the arm. "You can tell me about your other guardians later. And Kate. I'm sure Kate wants to speak with me."

"Oh, yes," Jade's frown disappeared and a smile took its place. "Kate has missed you all. She wants to catch up. But, as you said, that's for later."

"Any luck in converting him?" Regan asked as the group approached Tim and Jade.

"Ehh... I may need a bit more time," Jade answered, giving Tim a mischievous look. "There's only so much you can talk about without resorting to getting information from the other side."

"You can do that later," Alice stepped in before one of the others could say anything else on the matter. "Tom, I've been dragging you to stores all morning. Was there anything you wanted to look for while we're here? I know your place isn't going to win any home decoration awards any time soon."

"Oh, dear god, I need a television," escaped Tim's mouth before he could stop it. "And a computer. The internet and cable were already installed when the FBI moved me here, but the modem and cable boxes are useless without a television and a computer."

"There's a Best Buy just down 76th. We could go there," Edmund suggested.

"Yeah, pickings are going to be slim here at the mall. We should go to an actual electronics store if we're going to be looking at TVs and computers," Regan said.

"Fine. Tom, any issues with going there?" Alice asked. Tim shook his head, knowing Regan and Edmund had a point. He'd have a better selection at an electronics store. "Anything else you want to get today, then? Clothes? Kitchen supplies? Decorations? I really don't know how desperate you are to make your new home yours."

"The home makeover can wait for another day. I just need something to keep me busy when I'm at home. I can only stare at the wall for so long before I go crazy." The others laughed at Tim's pseudo desperate tone as Alice rolled her eyes.

"I could have taken you television and computer shopping before this. You've been here a month."

"I've used this last month to read through every book I've bought from the Walgreens, CVS, and Dollar Tree near my house," Tim pointed out. He'd be the first to admit that he was surprised by the selection of books at those three stores. Some of the books he got from the Dollar Tree he saw on the shelves of regular book stores back in DC. However, he had now read through all the ones he cared to buy and needed another form of entertainment. There were only so many options within walking distance of his house, and he was still wary about driving too far away.

"Alright," Alice gave him a knowing look.

"Yay! I can look for another external hard drive," Portia clapped. "I've filled my last one and can't afford to delete anything off of it yet."

"Let's get going, then. I know Portia, Regan, and Edmund well enough to know that we're going to be in that store several hours. It'll be dinner time by the time we leave," Clark cracked. Portia smacked her husband in the stomach while Regan and Edmund adopted contrite looks, earning snickers from Jade and Alice.

"Tom, have you ever heard of Topper's?" Jade asked

"No. Why?" Tim wondered.

"It's what we're ordering for dinner before leaving Best Buy," Jade declared, giving the others a look that said she would accept no argument. "I'm sure you're going to love them."

"O...kay..." Tim said, unsure of what type of food the place served.

"Oh, and exactly where are we gonna eat it?" Alice asked with a poke to Jade's shoulder.

"With the amount of electronics that Tom wants to buy, it is only fair for us to help him set it all up. That way we can learn where he lives and take you out of the equation!" Jade grinned, as if that had been obvious. Tim rolled his eyes as the group exploded in laughter again. Less than a day and he could already tell that they frequently gave each other shit. It was going to be an interesting rest of the day.


	14. Event Nine

Tony sat at his new desk in discomfort. He hadn't expected to get his own office when he accepted the Director's offer, but that is what he got. His own office and the desks outside would be populated by his team once he selected them.

"You don't look too happy," Ziva commented from the doorway.

"This isn't the way I expected to get my own team," Tony explained.

"Tim would be happy for you, Tony. Don't forget that."

"I know," Tony said. He pushed his foot off the leg of his desk so he slowly spun in place. "It's just... Tim should be here to take my place on Gibbs' team as Senior Field Agent. He worked his ass off to get on and stay on the team."

"Agreed. However, I must accept the position in his absence. I do not think Gibbs could handle all three of us leaving the team at once," Ziva said. She approached Tony's desk and sat in a guest's chair in front of it.

"I doubt that'd matter much longer, Zee. Have you seen how he's been acting with Abby lately? It's like he  _knows_  he won't be around to give her her Caffpows anymore. I think bossman is considering retiring for good."

Tony and Ziva both went silent after Tony's observation. Everything was changing. Even agents on other teams have been noticing differences in how the MCRT was interacting with each other. News of Tony and Ziva's relationship had already made its rounds in the scuttlebutt. Abby had been mentioning to people that she was considering caving to Director Vance's insistence that she have an assistant. Ducky was giving Palmer more and more duties that hinted at Ducky's own desire for retirement. It was like Tim McGee was the glue that was keeping everyone around and his death caused everyone to scatter.

"Sarah called me to say she's almost done unpacking her things at her new apartment. She's happy she got this far done before the new semester begins at the end of the month and wants to celebrate. Any ideas?" Ziva asked, breaking the silence.

"Tim wanted to take Sarah to some new bar downtown for the longest time. Apparently it's got this geeky theme going on. Let's go there," Tony suggested. "Sarah will know the place as soon as we mention it."

"Sounds good," Ziva said, trailing off.

"I should get back to reading these personnel files before Vance starts assigning people to me at random," Tony said.

"Good plan. He might assign a few problem people to you as a lesson on procrastination," Ziva said while standing up. Tony gave her an innocent look at the mention of procrastination. "Don't give me that. I know you better than that. You procrastinate at every opportunity."

"Only when it doesn't matter. Now get going before I get a call from Gibbs wondering where you are."

"I will say hi to Jimmy for you," Ziva offered with a smirk, hinting at where she was going next.

"Thanks," Tony replied. He let out a heavy sigh and picked up the stack of files on his desk, missing the small frown Ziva gave him before leaving.

* * *

"Dr. Mallard has be more forgetful than usual lately," Jimmy explained as he rushed around the morgue to collect different pieces of paper that belonged to the file Ziva was there to pick up. "I think he forgot you were coming down to collect this today."

"It is no issue to wait, Jimmy," Ziva placated.

"I know. I know. You're working a cold case because Gibbs needs time to select more team mates. I just..." Jimmy stopped mid step and sighed in a way that reminded Ziva of Tony's morose mood from earlier. "I am thinking Dr. Mallard is taking Tim's death as a sign that he needs to move on from NCIS."

"You are not the only one to think that. Quite a few others have noticed Ducky's disconnection from his work. He does not tell stories like he used to," Ziva said.

Ziva walked up to Jimmy to give him a once over, concern growing on her face. Everyone was so focused on Abby, Tony, and her own grief over Tim's death, she realized, that others were being neglected. She had yet to see anyone outside Tim's family approach Jimmy, Ducky, or Gibbs.

"Jimmy, how are you?" Ziva asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just buried in so much paperwork from Dr. Mallard forgetting it all that I'm a bit exasperated at the moment," Jimmy chuckled, absently running a hand through his hair.

"No. I mean,  _how are you_?" Ziva repeated.

Jimmy inhaled sharply, registering what Ziva was asking, and looked at the floor. Tears began to form on the rims of his eyelids.

"Breena's been worried. She claims I haven't been eating much lately. I don't notice a difference, but of course I work so much that there have been days where I ate nothing and didn't realize it until I went to eat dinner," Jimmy said. "I think she's about ready to make me take a leave of absence."

"It is hard to move on from a death when it is senseless and has no meaning," Ziva offered.

"But that's just it, Ziva. It was an accident. Tim died in a car accident. There's nothing about it that would require demanding any kind of justice, so why am I so hung up on it?" Jimmy said, raising his head to look Ziva in the eye.

"Tim was our friend, Jimmy. Not a stranger from a case that we'll forget about in a month's time. Not a coworker we barely say two words to when we share an elevator. Our friend. Someone we shared holidays and birthdays with. Someone who helped us change our car tires. Someone who brought us soup when we were sick. Tim was someone we cared about and someone who cared about us in return. His death  _means_  something to us," Ziva said, tears forming in her own eyes. "I would be more worried if you had stopped caring already."

Jimmy nodded repeatedly, running the back of his hand under his nose as he sniffed loudly. Ziva gave Jimmy a few moments to gather himself before stepping forward and pulling him into a hug. So many had been offered to her since the day the accident happened. She could return them.

The two of them jumped away from each other in shock, both letting out yelps of surprise, when an autopsy drawer door slammed open across the room.

"One would assume that does not usually happen," Ziva said as she and Jimmy stared at the open drawer with wide eyes.

"No," Jimmy shook his head as he slowly started walking towards the drawer.

"Could Ducky have not latched it properly?" Ziva followed behind Jimmy.

"I suppose so, but the doors are heavy. A gust of wind from the AC or refrigeration unit shouldn't have caused that," Jimmy explained over his shoulder.

At the drawer, Jimmy took a look inside. Seeing it empty, he closed the drawer and made sure it was latched.

"I'll mention it to Dr. Mallard. He hasn't told me of any issues with the doors, but I may have forgotten."

"Very well," Ziva nodded. She let out a shutter of a breath as she remembered what she saw in the mirror of Tony's kitchen. "I'll go back to the Bull Pen and give you some time to collect your paperwork. Let me know when you're ready."

"Of course, Ziva," Jimmy said.

Jimmy turned away from the drawer to give Ziva a proper farewell, paying no mind to the 107 on its door.


	15. Event Ten

"You let him live in this hellhole?" Edmund cracked at Alice as the group of them sprawled out in Tim's living room, open pizza boxes scattered between them.

"The FBI lets him live here. Personally, I would have picked a home in St. Francis or Greenfield," Alice replied.

Tim slowly shook his head as he kept his eyes on his new TV's user set-up guide. Personally, he understood how and why the FBI selected its safe-houses. Most of it was cost, sure, but the functionality of the house was also something that needed to be considered. He was just a single person who now had limited hobbies. It wasn't like he  _needed_  a house loaded with luxury extras.

"Bah. It ain't that bad here, Eddie. Sure, the lack of bedroom doors is a little unorthodox, but the place is nice nonetheless," Regan mused.

"Is it anything like your place back home?" Portia asked, pulling Tim's attention away from the set-up guide.

"I had a small, one-bedroom apartment. Can't exactly compare the two places," Tim said.

"I agree," Jade spoke up around a bite of pizza. She quickly swallowed before continuing. "Houses have a lot of emotional energy in them. If a house has been the home for the same family for multiple generations, it's a swamp of memories and energy that's difficult to wade through. Apartments, however, are almost like blank slates with each new tenant. People rarely stay in a single apartment long enough to have the same effect on them as families do with houses. I'm willing to bet the emotional energy of Tom's former apartment wouldn't even hint at his existence in there in another month or two."

"Oh, you mean like my ex-girlfriend after we broke up," Edmund said.

"Eddie!" Regan chided as everyone else exploded in laughter.

"What?" he replied.

Tim rolled his eyes in amusement and returned to the set-up guide. It was a Smart TV, and he wanted to have an understanding of this one's specifications before plugging it into the cable and internet. It was a different brand than the one he had back in DC.

"How are you going to keep yourself occupied once we're out for the night, Tom? Unlike the rest of us, you don't exactly have to wake up early tomorrow," Clark asked.

"Alice is going to be staying here as I set up my computer so she can verify the tracking software is installed and activated before she leaves," Tim answered. He gave up concentrating on the TV set-up guide and tossed it aside. "I got arrested for hacking, remember? I'm not allowed to use a computer without the FBI getting to see what I do with it."

"Ah, yes," Clark said. Alice gave him a look for already forgetting such a major detail.

"Do you mind if I stay behind? Watching you set up a basic computer will be a great way to judge your skills before allowing you to touch my office equipment," Jade said.

"Sure," Tim replied, ignoring the look Alice was now giving  _him_. "Like Clark said, it's not like I have anything better to do."

"Speaking of," Portia trailed off. She got up from her cross-legged position and walked over to the table where the new TV currently sat. "Tom, we need more entertainment than each others' personalities. How are you hooking this thing up to your cable box?"

Tim smiled as the others burst into laughter again, getting up to help Portia.

"Give me a moment and I'll have the cable box booting up."

"Alice, we need to take Tom to Leon's the next time we're all out. It'd be a shame if he went too long without having their custard," Jade said before another bite of pizza.

"I was considering the same," Alice replied.

"Woman, it is the middle of winter," Tim said, turning to give Alice an incredulous look.

"You'll understand once you try it. I promise. Leon's is worth it, even if it's 50 below," Alice said with a grin.

"Oh, don't tell us you're a freeze baby," Edmund said.

Tim gave them both a glare before going back to connecting his cable.

"I believe that's an affirmative, Eddie, my boy," Clark mused loudly, causing more laughter.

"You should have seen his reaction to the weather when I picked him up from the airport. Poor soul was clearly not prepared," Alice said.

"I'm right here," Tim spoke up.

"I know!" Alice replied with enthusiasm as the others continued to laugh.

Before Tim could reply, a loud bang came from the kitchen and caught everyone's attention. Tim and Alice were up and walking out of the room to investigate before the others registered their actions.

"You locked the back door, correct?" Alice whispered over Tim's shoulder.

"Yes," Tim whispered back.

He slowly looked around the edge of the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room to see if there was any movement in the corner in his blind spot, but he saw nothing. He stepped fully into the kitchen to look for the source of the noise just as everyone else came up behind Alice.

"Did something fall in a cabinet?" Portia asked.

"I still have bare basics. There's not much that could fall," Tim replied.

Tim twirled slowly in place to look at everything in the room, yet he saw nothing that would explain where the noise came from. He gave Alice a confused look, hoping she'd have a better idea. She would have been informed about everything in the house before he was moved in.

"We could check the attic or the basement," Alice offered. "Well, Scooby Gang, wanna split up?"

"Splitting up is our specialty," Jade replied, earning an elbow to the side from Regan.

"I doubt there's anything upstairs or downstairs," Tim said before anyone could do anything. He wasn't going to have a ghost hunt in his own home, borrowed it may be. "The noise didn't sound like it came through the floor or the ceiling."

"I'll put in a request to have a contractor come and do an inspection, then. Maybe something was missed in the inspection we had performed before you moved in," Alice said.

"Right..." Tim trailed off, still eyeing different parts of the room. He was going to be paranoid for a while now. He could feel it.

"Well, then!" Portia said loudly, making it obvious she was purposely changing the topic. "Back to setting up the cable."

Portia turned around and headed back to the living room, the others slowing following after until it was just Tim and Jade in the kitchen.

"Your home doesn't  _feel_  haunted, if it's any consolation," Jade quipped.

"But no guarantee on that?" Tim asked, not really sure if he actually wanted to know the answer.

"It is entirely possible for singular spirits to hide their presence from me. It gets harder for them to hide as two, three, or more begin to group together, but my 'Ghost Radar' isn't sensitive enough to pick up a single spirit one hundred percent of the time. Especially if they move quickly. I usually use aids when I'm tracking a single spirit on a job site," Jade replied.

"I'll take your word on my home not being haunted," Tim decided.

Jade patted him on the arm lightly and returned to the living room with the others, leaving Tim alone in the kitchen.

Tim looked around the room one last time, still confused on where the noise could have come from. He was  _sure_  it came from this room and not up- or downstairs. Yet nothing seemed to be out of place. Letting out a sigh, Tim gave up and headed back to the living room to join the others. He was already convinced that Jade was the 'real deal'. If she claimed his home was clear, then he just had to trust her.


	16. Event Eleven

Tim snorted in amusement as he heard Jade screech at Edmund in the other room. There was something about Edmund dumping a mess of wires all over the floor, but Tim didn't listen too closely. He wasn't about to bring Jade's wrath down on himself because he decided to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

"Are you sure you wanna work here?" Portia asked with a smile, looking up from her computer.

"Seems fitting enough. Jade reminds me of someone I used to work with," Tim replied, barely pausing his own work. He had a refurbished computer in pieces in front of him and was currently trying to determine if it was worth keeping the whole thing or if it should be salvaged for parts. He could already tell that the RAM was useless for salvage.

"Run while you still can. Once you're here for a week, you're here for life," Clark cracked from his own work spot.

"You say that like I'll need to hand my soul over to Jade just to get my paycheck," Tim laughed.

"You say that like I'm joking," Clark shot back.

"Both of you stop scaring him," Regan scolded as she entered the room. Tim jumped up to help her carry the boxes of computer parts that were blocking her line of sight. Regan gave him a smile in thanks before throwing Portia and Clark a scowl. "Jade's been needing someone to man the ship while we're gone. We need to  _keep_  Tom, not send him running for the hills."

"Clearly Edmund's been failing to do his job," Portia muttered, earning a darker scowl from Regan. Tim had to force himself not to laugh out loud, lest he get his own dirty look, and retreated back to his work table in the hopes that distance would make it easier to hold the laughter in. He had to say, everyone became a lot more interesting without Alice around to hold them back.

"Remind me again why I don't kill him," Jade hissed in irritation upon entering the room.

"You love me!" Edmund yelled at her back from where he was. Jade threw a glare over her shoulder, but she didn't bother with responding.

"How's it looking, Tom?" Jade asked, focusing her attention on what she asked Tim to do. Tim felt like a deer stuck in headlights for a few moments, not having expected to get Jade's attention any time soon, however he quickly got over it.

"Unless we're keeping the whole computer, the RAM is useless. The motherboard is in good condition, so it can be kept in storage in case we want to build a new computer any time soon. And I do mean soon. Bin the motherboard if there's a chance it'll be collecting dust while in storage. The hard drive, though, is a tiny 250 gigabytes. I wouldn't use it for anything related to the show. It'll fill up quickly. However, it may be useful for storing patient files if you want to use it for your practice," Tim reported.

"Very well. Take it apart for the parts and scatter them to wherever you think they fit best," Jade told him.

"We're being worked like beasts of burden here, Jade. When's lunch?" Clark asked.

"I cannot help it that the network wants to get all this research done in such a short amount of time," Jade said. She sighed and checked her wrist watch. "We could probably break for lunch right now. If I get a call for an update, I'll make an excuse."

"Thank god!" Portia shot up from her seat and collected her things before anyone could stop her. Clark followed her out at a more sedate pace, giving the others a look of amusement as he headed out the door.

"Eddie, lunch!" Regan yelled to the other room, making sure to put the boxes she was carrying in specific spots before grabbing her purse.

"Fine," Edmund replied, his voice muffled by whatever he was working on.

"Are you heading out, too?" Jade asked Tim when she noticed he hadn't moved from his table.

"It's actually early for lunch for me," Tim answered, checking his own watch. He couldn't remember the last time he had lunch at 11am.

"It's not so much lunch as it is a break away from work. The others are going to be eating while working two hours from now. I can guarantee it," Jade said.

Tim glanced over at Regan and Edmund as they, too, left the office and returned Regan's farewell wave right before the door closed.

"Sure. I don't see why not," Tim said. He put away the mini screwdriver he was using before standing up. "I should probably start getting used to navigating around Milwaukee, anyway."

"It's easy once you know the main streets. Trust me, Tim, you'll learn Milwaukee in no time at all," Jade said, switching to Tim's real name now that the two of them were alone.

"Let's hope so. I don't think Alice would let me live it down if I got lost somewhere and had to call her for help," Tim cracked.

"That's why you call me first," Jade said. "I'm nicer."

Tim gave Jade a deadpan expression. They both knew he heard her yelling at Edmund.

"What?! Compared to Alice, I'm nicer," Jade insisted with a laugh.

"Sure," Tim said, placating her. He turned away to grab his wallet from his desk drawer.

Tim opened his mouth to joke about offering to buy her a whip to keep them all in shape as he turned back to Jade, but he shut it when he noticed that Jade had suddenly frozen in place and her eyes had glazed over.

"Jade," Tim said, reaching out to touch her arm. Alice had warned him about this when they spoke about the incident in Southridge Mall, when Alice introduced Tim to everyone. Someone wanted to speak with Jade or Tim, and they weren't patient enough to do it when Jade said they could.

When Jade didn't move or speak for another minute, Tim considered calling one of the others back. Alice said the 'messages' were usually quick, and this one wasn't happening quickly. Tim had his phone out and in his hand, about to dial Portia's cell number, when Jade's hand shot up and grabbed his wrist. Tim gave her a mildly horrified look, not knowing how to handle the situation. Jade's eyes came back into focus and she moved her head to focus on Tim.

"Don't call. Jade's fine," someone who was definitely not Jade said. Tim ripped his wrist out of Jade's hand and took a step back. He might have been converted into being a believer, but he didn't expect to be alone the first time someone used Jade to speak with him. Alice assured him it wouldn't happen when he was alone with Jade because Jade wouldn't have allowed it. Some assurance that was, at the moment.

"Jade's not available to help you at the moment. May I take a message?" Tim asked.

"Don't be silly. It doesn't work that way," not Jade said. "Jade is busy arguing with a spirit at the moment, so I stepped up to prevent them from possessing her body while she argues with them. Some spirits can be so pushy."

It wasn't Kate. Tim could tell that much. Kate would have gone straight to proving who she was by telling him details only Kate knew. But this person, whoever they were, claimed to be doing the same job Kate does by protecting Jade.

"And how do I know you're telling the truth?" Tim asked before he could stop himself. Not Jade let out a laugh, giving him a look of amusement.

"I have to hand it to him. He did a great job of training you to be skeptical."

"Who?" Tim took another step back without thinking.

"Jethro," Not Jade said, causing Tim to pause mid-step. There was only one man named Jethro in his life, and Tim didn't realize that any of Jade's spirit guardians, other than Kate, knew who he was.

"How do you know that name?"

"Because everyone needs a code they can live by."

Tim's brain immediately brought up the memory of a discussion he had with Gibbs a long time ago. Tim had mentioned having to explain the logic behind some of the Rules to an FBI agent who was visiting the Navy Yard in the middle of a case, and Gibbs had made an off-hand comment about how the rules don't always apply to everyone because the person who taught  _Gibbs_  the rules had a rule about not dating lumberjacks. When Tim asked who that was, all Gibbs had said was ' _My first wife_.' Who Tim knew for a fact wasn't Diane Sterling.

"Shannon," Tim gasped. Jade had told him that one of her guardians was named Shannon, but he hadn't made the connection before now. He had no reason to. But  _two_  of Jade's guardians were connected to Tim in some way? What the hell was going on?

"I know. Hardly someone you ever expected to speak with," Shannon said. She walked over to Jade's work desk and sat down, motioning for Tim to do the same with a nearby chair. "I'm not about to leave the building with Jade's body, so we're stuck here until her argument is done. Do sit down, please. I'd love to get to know you better. Kate speaks about you and the team frequently."

"Does Jade know who you are? I mean, fully?" Tim asked. He slowly approached the chair Shannon motioned towards before sitting.

"I've told her nothing about Jethro or Kelly. Nor does she know about how Kate and I know people in common from when we were alive," Shannon answered. She gave Tim a placating smile. "Kate and I came to our postmortem careers for significantly different reasons, Tim. Telling Jade so many details about my history wasn't relevant. For Kate, it was."

"What's the difference? If I had dead people stepping up to protect me, I'd kinda want to know who they were," Tim said. His question earned him another placating smile.

"Kate choose to help Jade because of you. With whatever is going to happen in your future, Kate was determined to help. I choose to help Jade because of Jade. The incident with Jade's great-grandfather, when she was eleven, happened only a few weeks after I died, Tim. I was still a mother who needed a daughter to protect, but my Kelly moved on instead of remaining behind like I did."

Tim thought over everything Shannon just said. It seemed surreal. But it made sense. One of the first things Jade told him was how time flowed differently for the dead. How that affected each individual spirit would lead to vastly different motivations.

"So, what do you want to know?" Tim asked. He was satisfied with Shannon's answers. For now. He didn't doubt he'd have more by the time they spoke again.

"You sure you're ready to be interrogated by the original Mrs. Gibbs? I did teach Jethro a trick or two," Shannon said, a mischievous smile growing.

"Which he passed on to me, apparently, so bring it," Tim shot back.

Tim pinched his arm through his long-sleeve shirt as Shannon thought over where she wanted to start. He was awake. He was really here, having a talk with a woman who'd been dead for over a decade. The timing of the spirit who interrupted Jade could have been far better, but Tim figured going with the flow was best at the moment. He had no idea how long it was going to take Jade to finish arguing with whoever grabbed her attention, so Tim's only option at the moment was to entertain Shannon's curiosity. As his first time talking with the dead, it could be worse.


	17. Event Twelve

Gibbs whistled loudly from his back door to call Jethro back inside. With the snow beginning to melt, the mutt would be tracking mud all over the house if he was allowed to stay outside any longer.

"How has it been with just you and Ziva on the team?" Abby asked from her place at the kitchen table. She nursed a coffee cup between her hands. When she started drinking coffee, she couldn't remember, but it had been a while since she had a Caff Pow.

"No different than when it was just me and Tony," Gibbs answered as he closed the door behind Jethro trotting in. It had been years since then. That was way back, before he recruited Kate to the team. It was different now than it was then, if Gibbs was being honest with himself, but that wasn't the answer Abby wanted at the moment.

"So much has changed," Abby let out in a whisper. She thought back to when she first came to work for NCIS. She had half expected to be fired within weeks for not following clothing regulations.

"Goes with the territory, Abbs," Gibbs said. He returned to his chair at the table and took a long drink from his own coffee. "The team couldn't stay the same forever."

"I understand that. But I can't help but notice that something's missing and that something is what kept the team together. Kate's death did not have the same effect Tim's has had the last couple months," Abby said.

Gibbs remained silent. He had noticed it, too. Everything felt different than when Kate had died. Yet, Tim's death being an accident wasn't enough to explain it. It felt wrong.

Jethro walked over and sat next to Gibbs' chair, setting his head down on Gibbs' lap and looked up. Gibbs gave the dog some head pats. Jethro always had that look of expectation on his face, as if to ask when he was going home. Gibbs wondered how long it was going to last. Would Gibbs even notice when Jethro would stop expecting Tim to come collect him?

"Has Tony's team been passing muster?" Gibbs asked. Abby interacted with them far more often than Gibbs did. They rarely showed their faces to anyone who wasn't working on a cold case with them. It was a wonder that Tony was surviving without having anyone to match his gregarious personality.

"They do their job well," Abby said, hinting at nothing else. Gibbs gave her a look to tell her he noticed her avoidance. "They do the absolute bare minimum for interaction, Gibbs. What else should I say? They don't exactly provide much information about themselves. That they're solving cases is the only detail I've been able to gather about them."

"Does it seem like they're doing well under Tony?" Gibbs asked, hoping it would further clarify. He could ask Tony the question outright, but Gibbs didn't want to bring up work whenever Tony made an appearance at Team Night. It was rare that Tony got away from his own cases early enough to join them. More often than not, Tony only swung by the house to say hi and pick up Ziva after Abby declared she was allowed to go home.

"They're solving cold cases," Abby repeated the only piece of information she had.

"Alright," Gibbs said, accepting that Abby wasn't going to be able to give him anything.

Silence fell between the two of them. It did that a lot the last few months. The usually talkative goth seemed to have finally run out of words to say when she no longer had anything work related to talk about. Gibbs reached out and grabbed one of Abby's hands, lightly caressing the top of it with his thumb as they continued to say nothing. There wasn't much to offer in terms of comfort anymore.

A crash in a room somewhere above them had Gibbs jerking away and standing up. Abby stood up at a slower rate, looking up at the ceiling in shock.

"Would someone really go through the trouble of going through an upstairs window when you never keep anything locked down here?" Abby asked.

"Apparently," Gibbs muttered. He made his way towards the stairs to the upper floor, listening carefully for any other noises that were out of place. Gibbs heard Abby's footsteps behind him and half considered telling her to stay in the kitchen, but he decided not to. Abby wouldn't listen if he said to stay behind.

"Surely Jethro would have heard if someone was trying to get into the house," Abby pointed out. The dog in question had retreated to his dog bed in the living room before the crash happened and was now standing above his bed with his hackles raised. Jethro was just as surprised as they were at the noise.

"Possibly," Gibbs said. He paused at the foot of the stairwell to listen again. When he heard nothing, he started to ascend to the upper floor. The upstairs was just a silent as downstairs was before the crash. Not a single hint of which room the crash came from. Without any specific place to check first, Gibbs opted for process of elimination and started with the first room closest to the top of the stairwell.

"I don't like this," Abby whispered behind Gibbs once the first room was cleared.

"Then go back downstairs," Gibbs whispered back, continuing on to the next room. Abby let out a frustrated noise and stayed close behind.

Once all the rooms had been checked and cleared, Gibbs and Abby stood together in the hallway. Not a single thing was out of place in any of the upstairs rooms. Nothing on any of the floors that hinted at something tipping over or one of the decorations falling off a wall. And all of the windows were closed. When Gibbs glanced up at the door in the ceiling that went up to the attic, Abby quietly began freaking out.

"Okay, no. Absolutely not. If the noise came from the attic, we are  _not_  going up there at night," Abby whispered.

"Never figured you for a chicken shit, Abbs," Gibbs teased. He reached for the cord that would pull down the latter into the attic.

"Loud noise in a dark attic at night. Not the best scenario for testing one's belief in the paranormal," Abby hissed back.

"You're welcome to go back downstairs," Gibbs reminded her before heading up into the attic. Abby threw a stubborn look at his back and followed, refusing to leave him alone.

In the middle of the attic floor, the remains of a chandelier lay scattered. Pieces of colored glass formed a halo around the deformed ball that used to be the frame. Gibbs approached the remains, careful not to step on too much of the glass, and crouched next to it to take a closer look.

"Okay. So an old chandelier fell from wherever you had it stacked for storage. Now let's go back downstairs," Abby said rapidly.

"It was in a box," Gibbs said.

"What?"

"It was in a box," Gibbs repeated. He stood back up and walked over to the box in question, seeing the tape torn and the flaps wide open.

"We already confirmed that no one broke into the house, Gibbs. Let's just go back downstairs," Abby rambled.

Gibbs ignored her and looked over everything else in the vicinity of the box that housed the chandelier. Nothing was jostled or moved. There wasn't a single speck of dust out-of-place that could explain why the chandelier suddenly burst from its container.

"Why was it in storage, anyway? It looks like it was beautiful," Abby asked, trying to distract herself.

"It was Shannon's," Gibbs answered. Abby went silent at his reply.

Accepting that it was highly unlikely that he was going to get an explanation, Gibbs turned and motioned for Abby to go back down the latter before he turned the attic light off. She crawled down the door and landed on the floor with a thump, immediately heading back for the stairwell to downstairs now that they had already checked the entire house. Gibbs let out a snort of amusement. As many times as he heard Abby ramble on and on about her interest in ghost stories, Gibbs expected her to be a bit more courageous with something as simple as being in the dark.

Gibbs reached for the pull string to turn the light off, but paused when he felt a brush on the back of his neck. He spun around and took a step back, looking around for the source of the brush. A cobweb, a crack in the roof letting in a draft, anything.

"Now is not the time," Gibbs said to himself. He didn't need to be freaking himself out over nothing when he already had a skittish Abby to deal with. Deciding to come back in the morning to clean up the mess, Gibbs quickly turned off the light and crawled down the attic ladder to the upstairs hallway. He'll deal with everything  _tomorrow_.


	18. Work, Paranormal and Otherwise

"Enjoying the warmer weather? I admit, I expected you to shave off the beard by now since Spring is here. No more having to keep your face warm," Alice asked as she guided Tim through the Milwaukee FBI office. She ruffled the underside of Tim's chin with a mischievous smirk, causing Tim to bat her hand away as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm used to more rain, but I like the weather," Tim cracked. "I could get used to Wisconsin if I have this to look forward to every Spring. As for the beard, I'm changing habits to 'blend in' more. Everyone back in DC is used to seeing me clean shaven."

"The goal is to send you home  _before_  you get used to life in Wisconsin," Alice pointed out.

"I have a feeling I'd need to at least maintain a vacation home here. Tell me I'm wrong when I say the others would hunt me down in DC if I suddenly up and left without showing any hint of coming back to at least visit," Tim said. Alice opened her mouth to argue, but she closed it when she came up with nothing to say. Tim smirked in amusement. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Well, I'm sure the others would appreciate you being so considerate of them," Alice said.

The two of them arrived at Alice's office without interruption from anyone seeking Alice's opinion on something. Once inside, Alice closed the door behind them so they could speak more openly.

"You say Fisher doesn't have much of an update?" Tim asked, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of Alice's desk.

"No. Sorry. Ironically, they'd probably be doing better in their investigation if you were still back in DC to help them," Alice replied. She sat down as well so she could use her computer to access reports Fisher had sent her. "The Lambert family hasn't been called the nicest of things when I've been on the phone with Fisher, to say the least."

"You know, if someone could remove the stick from Fisher's ass, I would be able to help," Tim said in an airy tone.

"I've argued with him multiple times on the subject, Tim. We have more than enough computer equipment here in the Milwaukee office for you to help. Fisher won't budge," Alice said, her voice hinting at the amount of irritation she felt towards Fisher.

"What about Rocco? He hasn't been able to bend Fisher's ear?" Tim asked. He hadn't been around Special Agent Rocco for long, just his short stint in the safe house, but Tim remembered the man quite clearly. Rocco had been nice enough to get Tim a copy of Tim's own funeral DVD, which Tim still hadn't watched.

"I tried that route, too. Rocco and I are in agreement that you should be allowed access to the digital files for their operation so you can do some work here. Anything that'll get it done and over with faster. Fisher, however, has been refusing to listen to Rocco, as well. I think Rocco once compared Fisher's stubbornness to a mosquito stuck in amber," Alice ranted.

"To say the least," Tim said. "Does Fisher even realize that there isn't anything really stopping me from accessing the files? He, himself, has acknowledged my skills as a hacker."

"I don't know. Whatever his reasoning is for keeping you away from the operation, he is not sharing it with anyone arguing on your behalf. I'm half tempted to give you his contact information so you can call him, yourself, but I enjoy keeping my job," Alice said. "I'll keep trying, Tim. That's the best I can do at the moment."

"It's fine. I'm sure we'll find out what's going on in Fisher's head eventually," Tim said. He let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat.

"How has it been working in the shop with the others? Jade working you like a pack mule?" Alice asked, changing topics.

"My experience there has been interesting, to say the least. The others seem to be weirded out by how often Jade gets 'interrupted' by someone on the Other Side, so I'm guessing it's been happening more than usual lately," Tim replied.

"Anyone interesting?" Alice perked up. She'd seen Jade in action first hand, herself, but Alice was interested in what Tim thought of it all.

"A couple," Tim started. He pondered over whether or not to tell Alice. "You know the names of any of Jade's guardians?"

"Jade has told me about Kate, Shannon, and Eric. I know she has more, but I guess those three are usually around the most. Never got around the learning about the others," Alice said.

"I knew Kate and Shannon before I got here," Tim said.

"Wait, what?" Alice did a double take.

"I knew Kate and Shannon," Tim repeated. "Well, I knew Kate. She was a coworker of mine at NCIS. I knew  _of_  Shannon because she died before I met her husband, who happens to be my old boss from NCIS."

"Are you seriously telling me you have a personal connection with two of Jade's spirit guardians?" Alice asked, giving Tim a deadpan look that said she'd smack him if he was lying.

"Yes. Jade knows I knew Kate. Kate's told her loads about me already. Shannon, however, hasn't for some reason. I'm not sure why, and I'm not too keen on saying anything about it yet without knowing Shannon's reasoning," Tim replied.

"Shannon's been around the longest out of all the guardians. As much as I don't understand how they work, if Jade trusts Shannon then I do, too. To a point. Shannon would have to have a pretty good reason to keep something from Jade," Alice said. She pondered over everything she's learned about Shannon to see how any of it could possibly relate to Tim. "But since you never met her when she was alive, I have no idea why Shannon would be hesitant to tell Jade that you two have a connection through Shannon's husband."

"Your guess would be as good as mine, Alice. I've spoken with Shannon a few times the last couple months. She's never hinted at why she doesn't want Jade to know," Tim said.

"Keep an eye on that, yeah? Shannon's priority is Jade. Knowing you through her husband doesn't change that. If Shannon decides that it's no longer safe for Jade to be around you, then it'll cause some hell. I trust Shannon to do what's best for  _Jade_ , first and foremost," Alice said.

"You say that like I've got my own spirits and demons trailing around after me," Tim said with a laugh.

"We all do," Alice replied, stopping Tim's laughter. "We all have skeletons in our closets. We all know people who have died. Jade can speak with  _any_  of them with a little bit of effort. It's when our spirits and demons try to interact with Jade without her permission that the problems start. There's a reason why the crew tries to avoid investigating haunted prisons and haunted hospitals when they're filming an episode."

"You're making me paranoid about how often I interact with Jade," Tim commented. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Tim lost track of how many enemies he made while working at NCIS. He also didn't bother to keep track of any of them dying.

"Don't be. Just know that we're all carrying around baggage that affects mediums like her. Jade has a well established network of spirit guardians who keep her safe, so she's better protected than you realize. But, sometimes, that protection comes from one or more of her guardians becoming over cautious and saying she needs to keep away from someone. It's rare for Jade to veto their suggestions," Alice said. "And she's never vetoed a suggestion that Shannon has made."

"Now you're telling me to play kiss ass with Shannon," Tim said.

"Wouldn't work, but I kinda want to see you try," Alice replied with a chuckle. "Seriousness aside, though, has everything else with the crew been working out? No tiffs going on? No one is making you uncomfortable working there?"

Tim took a moment to think over Alice's questions. He'd been in Milwaukee for a handful of months now and had the chance to get to know the others past their initial impressions. It already felt like he'd been there significantly longer than he had been.

"No problems. They've finally stopped asking questions about my past, even when you summon me here to the office. I'd say I've blended in rather well. It's almost as if I've always been there," Tim finally answered.

"Good. Last thing we need is for Fisher to find a reason to send you packing to another city," Alice said.

Tim frowned at the idea. Constantly being moved around from city to city for the rest of his life wasn't something he was willing to put up with. Fisher's paranoia would have to be kept in check. And, if it came down to it, Tim could always tell Fisher to fuck off and return to DC, hit on his head be damned. Like Alice said, the goal was to return Tim to DC as soon as possible. Not keep him hiding under a rock until he died for real.


	19. Event Thirteen

Tim stood in the middle of the grocery aisle, debating over which brand of pizza sauce he should get or if he should do a batch of homemade. He had finally talked himself into making homemade pizza after remembering the recipe Tony taught him, but Tim wasn't sure if he should go all out the first time he made it or wade in with 'cheater' ingredients. Tim was sure the others would interrogate him if he went completely homemade. Thinking back to the last time they all decided to gang up on him with questioning, Tim glanced over the brands again and grabbed a jar of one he knew at least tasted decent.

"First time making homemade pizza?" A nearby shopper spoke up, an amused look on her face. Tim turned towards the woman with a confused look, surprised that a stranger spoke to him, but he quickly moved past it. Random strangers being helpful was something he was still getting used to. It happened back in DC, sure, but it happened to him more times here in Wisconsin than the previous five years in DC.

"Uh, no," Tim answered. "I'm debating if I wanted to anger my Italian friend's dead grandmother by going with store-bought sauce in her recipe."

"Tempting the dead, then, I see," the woman said with a hand motion to the jar of sauce in Tim's hand.

"I like to live dangerously," Tim cracked. He set the jar in his cart and paused when he realized that the woman was still looking at him. "Uh, was there something  _you_  needed help with?"

"No. I was just wondering if you should be trusted to make a homemade pizza that tastes good if you choose store-bought sauce over homemade when the recipe calls for homemade," the woman joked.

_She's flirting,_  Tim thought with horrified realization. A relationship was currently not on his radar because he fully intended on going back home to DC. He avoided going to bars with the others for that very reason. Perhaps he'd have a better chance at avoiding women if he did go bar hopping with them.

"I'll be sure to ask my friend about that when I return home after my vacation," Tim said. Sure, it was a double-layered lie – he wasn't on vacation and he wasn't returning home any time soon, as far as he knew – but it was the best line he could come up with at a moment's notice.

"Well, I'm sure he's confident in your cooking abilities if he trusted you with the recipe," the woman said, her face showing her disappointment that Tim wasn't in the area permanently. She gave him one last smile before walking away. Jade walked up from the end of the aisle, giving the woman's back a confused look after passing her.

"What was that about?" Jade asked, setting a couple packets of yeast in Tim's cart.

"Nothing," Tim said quickly. Jade's 'answer me' look, however, had Tim sighing in defeat. "I avoid going to the bars with you all to  _avoid_  having women hit on me. I didn't expect it in the middle of a grocery store!"

Jade burst into laughter, needing to grab at the cart to steady herself.

"Oh, come on. She looked cute!" Jade exclaimed, motioning in the direction the woman had gone.

"Jade," Tim said evenly, rolling his eyes at her continued laughter. "Last I checked, you knew damn well that I'm not in the best position to be entertaining a woman's flirtations."

"It's still funny seeing a guy be completely thrown off by being hit on," Jade defended herself, taking steady breaths to calm herself down.

"Can we just get back to our shopping trip? I have no idea where anything is in this store. You insisted on coming here, not me," Tim said.

"Fine, fine, fine," Jade said. She took the shopping list out of Tim's hand and skimmed over it, comparing it to whatever they already had in the cart. "We can probably head over to the meat department now to grab everything we need from there. I'm sure the others are wondering why we're taking so long."

"Is this typical for you all to do before you head off to film on location? A party night?" Tim asked. He took his list back and began pushing the cart down the aisle.

"Yeah. It's our own little way of bring good luck on ourselves. If we leave happy, then we'll return happy," Jade explained.

"I know you all believe in the paranormal, but I didn't take any of you to be superstitious," Tim said. Jade shrugged.

"Not so much, but it definitely doesn't hurt to  _hope_  for good luck while we're there. Abandoned schools are their own kind of animal when compared to other job sites," Jade said. When she didn't say anything further, it was Tim's turn to give her a look to make her keep talking. "Schools, especially older ones, have seen so many years of bullying, of harassment, of juvenile drama and anger that it leaves a rather unique... stain... behind. We'll be dealing with a lot of remnant energies that aren't even spirits."

"Just do me a favor and don't bring any of that back. Bad enough I've got some of the living angry with me. I don't need the dead angry with me, either, for any reason," Tim joked.

"Says the man about to make Nana DiNozzo's homemade pizza with store-bought sauce," Jade shot back. She snorted in amusement and walked ahead to lead the way to the meat department.

"And tell Kate that she's a snitch!" Tim called out to Jade's back.

* * *

"Okay, so this is all the equipment that you need," Tim checked with Edmund.

"Yeah. We should be set for the entire shoot. If we forgot anything, we'll call and ask you to overnight it to us FedEx," Edmund said. "Given the size of the campus, it's going to take us a while to properly check the entire thing out. We haven't worked on one this large before. It's going to take us a while before we're able to find key filming locations."

"As long as we focus on locations mentioned in local lore first, we should be alright. We may get away with not checking out a few areas. We usually do," Clark said.

"Not this time, Clark," Jade spoke up as she entered the equipment room where Tim, Edmund, and Clark were. "It's been over a decade since paranormal investigators were last allowed on the property. The network wants us to do a full rundown of the property to reassess where the hotspots are."

"Hotspots?" Tim looked at Jade with confusion. He was beginning to get used to the jargon they used around the shop, but that was a term he knew they hadn't used around him before.

"Hotspots are locations of peak activity. Best place to get EVPs. Best place to get images. Best place, in general, to get anything you need during an investigation. Think of them as the volcanoes of the paranormal. You can technically get lava anywhere on Earth if you try hard enough and dig deep enough, but it's always best to go where the lava comes to you," Jade explained.

Tim thought the comparison was apt, now that he understood the term. If there was a specific spot that made talking with spirits easier, he knew he'd want to know about it.

"So if you have to hold a séance because you're having difficultly speaking with any of the spirits there, you're going to hold it in one of the hotspots you find?" Tim asked.

"Dear, god, no!" Clark exclaimed, his face showing a horrified expression at the idea.

"No, Tom," Jade said, throwing Clark a glare for his dramatic reaction. "We use a séance as a beacon, meaning doing one on an active hotspot would lead to a stampede of spirits, both good and bad, trying to get back to this plane of existence. We need a more controllable flow of spirits that we can interact with, so we perform them in a coldspot. A place that's completely void of spiritual activities. We hold back on holding séances until one of two criteria are met because of how extreme of a result it gives us. One, all the current hotspots are tapped and we're just not getting anything. Or two, there are no hotspots at a location and we need to create a temporary one."

"Like Edmund said, the campus is huge. Do you think you'll have to worry about not having any hotspots?" Tim said. He zipped up the equipment bag he had finished packing and pushed it towards the end of the table so Edmund could track it on the inventory sheet of equipment they were taking with them.

"Doubtful. Schools as old as the one we'll be investigating rarely go cold. As bad as juvenile bullying and drama is today, it was absolutely horrendous back when the school was new," Jade said. She peaked over Edmund's shoulder to skim the inventory sheet before walking around the table to join Tim as his end. "However, that reminds me. I have a favor I need you to do for me, Tom."

"Which is?" Tim asked, turning his full attention to Jade.

"The network's research team is terrible at getting the full history of a location for us. We've been burned by them before by having surprises show up in the middle of an investigation, so I was hoping you'd look into the background of the school once the team is en route. The building is too old to have such a simplistic history as the network's research team is claiming. Call one of us  _immediately_ if you find anything. And keep calling if you don't get an answer," Jade said.

"Do I want to know what's going to happen if I do find something?" Tim asked. Today was a day full of questions for him.

"Just let us know if you find anything. We risk being blindsided on a property as large as this school is if we don't know everything there is to know about the place," Jade said.

"Oi! Speaking of being reminded," Edmund interrupted before Tim could push Jade for more information. "You're former east coast, Tommy Boy. Any suggestions for places to eat in the Baltimore area? That's where our over-night pit stop is before we hit the job site."

A laundry list of restaurants scrolled through Tim's mind. Not only had Tony raved about several locations throughout the city, but Tony had also taken Tim to many of them on their off weekends. Tim could probably give a solid suggestion to Edmund if Edmund only clarified which kind of food he was looking for.

"Sorry," Tim began. "Never been to Baltimore."

"Pity. Oh, well. I'm sure it's the same as you asking us about food up in Green Bay. Never actually been there yet. I'll just look up some Google reviews," Edmund said. He signed the bottom of the inventory sheet and handed the clipboard to Jade. "We're all set, my lady. I'm gonna head off to back the personal luggage."

"You are released from duty, my court jester," Jade replied with just as much sarcasm.

"I'll head off to pack, as well. I'm sure Portia is trying to pack the whole apartment," Clark said. He gave Jade and Tim a wave good bye and followed Edmund out the door.

"Seriously, Jade. What am I looking for, specifically?" Tim asked as soon as they were alone.

"Anything and everything. You never know what will be relevant until you see it," Jade said. "Shannon, Kate, and the others cannot always tell me what's going to happen when we visit a job site. They don't work like that."

"Alright," Tim said. He held eye contact with Jade for a few moments to give weight to what he was saying. "But if it feels like shit is going to go down, even if you aren't told by Shannon or Kate, then trust your instincts. We have a fight or flight response for a reason."

"Don't worry, Tim. We'll all be fine. Regan is my second-in-command when we're on-site, and she knows when to override my decisions on whether or not we should stay at a location. She hasn't failed her job yet," Jade said.

"Good. Now go finish packing. I need to figure out what I'm going to do for the three weeks you all will be gone." Tim smiled and nudged Jade towards the door. He flicked the lights off and closed the door behind them.

In the dark of the equipment room, a handheld EVP monitor fell off its shelf.


	20. Event Fourteen

Tim typed away on his keyboard as he looked for any public records related to the names Regan had texted him. The group had found some paperwork in what used to be the school's administrator's office, and they wanted to know if the names were of anyone who could still be in living memory. A descendant was preferred, but anyone would do. The records Tim was finding weren't quite up to par for what he was used to having access to, though, so he was getting more and more annoyed with each dead end he found. To his fortune, the phone began ringing.

"Green and Co," Tim greeted when he picked up the phone. He'd take any break he could get at the moment.

"It's Jade!" Jade replied. There was loud music playing behind her, barely muffled by the door of whatever room Jade was in. "Sorry about the background noise. We just hit the road, so Edmund took it upon himself to commandeer the radio system."

"It's fine. I can still hear you. What's up, Jade?" Tim asked. He spun his chair so he was facing away from the computer.

"I wanted to check in and see how you're doing. I know you haven't found anything yet regarding the names Regan sent you because you haven't called her back, but how's the store?" Jade continued.

"It's doing as well as I was told to expect. I think I've cleaned the place from top to bottom about four times now," Tim laughed.

"I'm sure you had a lot of fun doing that," Jade said. Tim could mentally see the grin on her face.

"Yeah. Totally," Tim said sarcastically. "Other than that, I've literally been sitting around and reading. Since you're out-of-town, the only traffic I've been getting has either been novices wanting advice on beginner's equipment or phone calls from clients wanting to schedule dedicated time to go over buying updated equipment. And Alice hasn't had jack shit for me to do, either."

"I figured it'd be dead while we've been away. Most of our customers avoid doing purchases when the team isn't there to answer questions. Everything else going okay?"

The tone of Jade's voice caught Tim's attention. He'd only got it from her a couple times before. He knew exactly what was going on here.

"Jade, did Kate say something about me?" Tim asked. A sigh told Tim he was right on the money.

"She's worried about you, but she won't tell me why. It's infuriating," Jade whined.

"Jade, Kate is probably antsy because you all are gonna be staying in DC for a couple days to play tourist before coming back. I'm fine," Tim insisted. "Enjoy your few days off from getting to leave the job site early."

Jade remained silent for several moments. Tim could tell she wanted to say something about them going to DC but didn't want to get Tim upset about it.

"Let me know when you're getting closer to the metro area. I'll message you a long list of restaurants to pick from that are fantastic," Tim continued to break the silence.

"Don't trust Kate's opinion on restaurants?" Jade asked, letting out a small laugh.

"I lived in DC longer than she did. I know of more places than she will," Tim said. He thought back to the restaurants the MCRT frequented when Kate was still alive. How many of them were still open?

"And yet you won't trust my opinion on restaurants in Milwaukee without one of the others also endorsing it," Jade teased.

"Make a suggestion without a shit-eating grin on your face and maybe I'll trust you," Tim shot back with a laugh of his own.

"Fine. I'll do that as soon as we're back. I'll suggest a restaurant with a straight face and we'll go," Jade said.

"It's a date," Tim confirmed.

On Jade's end, a loud noise in the background followed by some yelling had Jade swearing under her breath.

"Tim, I have to go before Portia kills Clark. Last thing I need is for my own travel bus to be haunted," Jade said.

"Go save the baby before his wife does him in," Tim chuckled.

Jade paused for a few seconds, a few halted syllables showing that she wasn't quite ready to hang up. Tim waited, a look of expectation appearing on his face despite no one being around to see it, as he refused to break the silence. Another sigh from Jade made it clear she knew she'd have to speak up this time.

"I mean it, Tim. Next time we're face-to-face. It's a date," Jade finally said.

The conversation Tim had with Jade three weeks previous at the grocery store came to mind, but three weeks was a long time to mull over the topic. Tim wasn't about to pull some unsuspecting woman into his life because of the chance he'd be pulled back to DC without warning. However, Jade wasn't unsuspecting. Jade  _knew_. She knew who Tim was, she knew he could return to DC any day now, and she knew that Tim leaving didn't necessarily mean he'd never return to Wisconsin. And he'd be lying if he tried to say that he hadn't been low-key flirting with Jade for months already.

"It's a date," Tim repeated.

They both hung up, and Tim turned his chair back toward his desk slowly so he could return the cordless phone back to its cradle. He stared at it for a few moments as he thought over what just happened and let out a groan.

"Alice is going to give me so much shit," Tim muttered. He looked at his computer again, wishing the search results would magically appear for him. He only had so many resources that granted public access. None of them gave him any of the information he was looking for. Giving in, Tim reached for his cell phone to text Regan to let her know he hadn't found anything yet and was going to take a break from searching for the rest of the evening. It was nearly time to close the store, anyway, and Tim wasn't planning on staying past lock up.

Tim had just locked the front door when he could hear his cell phone ringing. He thumped his forehead against the door a few times before heading over to the front counter to answer the call before it went to his voicemail.

"Alice! Please tell me you're calling to release me from my boredom," Tim said once his phone was pressed against his ear.

"Tim, has there been anyone sitting outside the shop most of the day?" Alice asked, ignoring Tim's complaint about boredom. Her tone had Tim turning around to look out the main windows in the building. From what he could tell, none of the cars outside had anyone sitting in them.

"Uh, not that I've noticed," Tim said.

"It's 5. Are you locked up?" Alice continued. Tim frowned.

"Of course. I always close on time. I was going to leave in, like, two minutes. Alice, what's wrong?" Tim questioned.

"Tim, the Lambert's found out that you're still alive."

Everything around Tim seemed to fade away as he froze in shock. He was alone in the shop while Alice, the only friendly person anywhere nearby who knew where he was, was across the county in her office. Not the ideal situation he wanted to be in upon receiving this kind of news.

"If there's no one there, then they may not know your exact location yet. Hightail your ass to my office  _now_ ," Alice stressed.

"How the hell did they find out?" Tim asked. He walked around the counter to shut down the front computer for the night and switch off all the lights in the store. He double checked that the register drawer was locked before heading through the back to get to the employee entrance.

"No idea. According to Rocco, Fisher is a hair's width away from having a brain aneurysm. They think there might be a leak somewhere. We need to get you out of Milwaukee as soon as possible," Alice explained.

"So, what? I just disappear again? I get shoved into the depths of some other metro area in another state?" Tim ranted. He kicked the employee door closed behind him and darted for his car.

"Tim, I..." Alice started. "I don't know what else to tell you. If we don't move you, they'll kill you."

"You know what? So fucking be it," Tim hissed. He was  _done_  with this entire situation. He was done with running. He wasn't going to completely upend his life a second time just as he was getting used to life in Wisconsin. This was stopping now, on his own damn terms. "Alice, I'm going home to pack a bag, then I'm heading to the airport. I highly suggest you be there to buy a ticket with me if you want to hold any resemblance of control over what's going on."

"Tim, just where the hell are you going?!" Alice yelled.

"Back to DC," Tim shot back before hanging up and tossing his cell phone into his passenger seat.

This had to be what Kate was worried about. It had to be. There was no other explanation. Letting out a frustrated noise, Tim maneuvered his car out of the employee parking lot. If he was lucky, he'd arrive in DC at the same time as Jade and the others and could send them back home immediately. No way in hell they weren't a target, as well, if the Lambert's knew he was in Milwaukee.


	21. Event Fifteen

" _I love you, Tim, and I wish to God you had just come to that damn ship with the rest of us._ " Tim ripped his earbuds out and slammed his laptop closed. All these months later, and he had finally forced himself to watch the recording of his funeral. Now he was regretting not having watched it sooner because Tim knew he was going to be crying as soon as he and Alice were out of the airport and started to see the familiar sights of DC.

“Okay, so they accidentally sent all the bags from our flight to the wrong baggage claim,” Alice said as she approached where Tim was sitting. Tim nodded in acknowledgment and started shoving his things back into his carry-on bag so they could go fetch the rest of their things. Noticing the look on Tim's face, Alice grabbed his arm to get his attention again. “Tim, are you okay?”

“I'm fine, Alice. It's just overwhelming being _home_ again,” Tim said. He zipped his bag closed and stood up, looking at Alice in expectation. She gave him a look that said she knew he wasn't sharing all the details, but she didn't press the issue.

“The correct baggage claim is this way,” Alice said.

The two of them remained silent most of the way to their bags, just as they had been for most of the flight to DC. Alice had informed Tim that Fisher was throwing a conniption fit when she met up with Tim at the airport back in Milwaukee, but she didn't force a conversation after that. She now knew Tim well enough to know that there was no arguing with him at the moment. All she could do was hold on tight and be dragged along for the ride.

“Has Jade let you know if they're in the area yet?” Tim asked, pulling out his cell phone to check his messages.

“I haven't heard from Jade since she texted me to say they were about to hit the road,” Alice said.

Tim groaned in frustration and shoved his cell phone back into his pocket. Just perfect. Tim was back in DC to tell Fisher to take the offer of Witness Protection and shove it up his ass, and Tim had no idea where Jade and the others were. Alice wasn't going to like it, but Tim was going to have to insist that they split up once the others were in the area. Jade was going to text him eventually to let him know when that was.

“Okay, fine. We'll go speak with Fisher first, then. I'm sure he's close to needing a sedative by now,” Tim said. “Tomorrow morning, we'll go to the Yard.”

“You want to go back to work right away?” Alice asked incredulously. Tim's life was in danger. They needed a plan of action.

“I am, first and foremost, NCIS. I want my damn badge back,” Tim said.

“And you think you can waltz right in there and get it?”

“Yeah,” Tim chuckled. It was a Gibbs move, to be sure, but Tim was sure he could pull it off. “Leon Vance is still the Director. You give him back one of his top agents on a silver platter and he'll make the badge right there in his office if he has to.”

“Gee, Tim, tell me what you really think about your abilities,” Alice cracked.

“Is it _really_ considered bragging if you're just stating a fact?” Tim shot back.

Bags in hand, Tim and Alice made quick work of getting to their rental car and were soon out of the airport parking lot. Tim had been tempted to let Alice drive just so he could look around at the buildings he hadn't seen for so long, but Alice had no idea how to get to the Hoover Building from the airport. He needed to be behind the wheel if they wanted to meet up with Fisher with any kind of haste.

“I need to transfer,” Alice said in awe as they entered the Hoover Building.

“This building is pretty plain compared to what your own building looks like back in Milwaukee. You even have a lake-side view,” Tim pointed out as he guided them into an elevator.

“Yeah, but look at the size of this damn place!” Alice said. “I could get lost just trying to find the bathroom.”

Tim let out a laugh. He probably shouldn't mention to Alice that he'd been in this building enough times that he could get to Fisher's office blindfolded as long as you told Tim the correct room number.

“Hey!” Agent Rocco's grinning face greeted them as soon as the elevator doors opened. “I gotta say, McGee, you know how to make an entrance.”

“And I'm not even trying,” Tim responded with a grin of his own. He shook Rocco's hand and motioned to Alice. “This is Agent Turner.”

“Glad to finally put a face to the voice,” Rocco said, also shaking Alice's hand.

“Likewise, Rocco. Let's cut to the chase. How pissed is Fisher?” Alice asked.

Rocco sighed and motioned for Tim and Alice to follow him into the maze of hallways. “He's not happy in the slightest that McGee has broken protocol and came back to DC. But he also admitted that he should know better than to expect anything different from a man trained by Gibbs, so Fisher has returned to panicking over finding the source of the leak.”

“Smart man,” Tim commented. He still held his breath, however, when they arrived at the conference room where Fisher and the rest of the FBI team were.

“You are a thorn in my back side! Do you realize that, Timothy McGee?” Fisher exclaimed when he realized that Tim, Alice, and Rocco had arrived.

“You're hardly the first and certainly won't be the last,” Tim said. He approached the white board to stand by Fisher, making it clear he wasn't going to be shoved to the back of the room like a low-level agent. “Do you have any answers for me on why my cover was blown in the first place?”

“Not in the slightest. As far as we have been able to tell, everything is closed up tight. There's no place for a leak,” Fisher hissed, irritated with the situation in general.

“Are we even sure it's a leak?” Alice asked, pulling everyone's attention to her. “Fisher, it's not like you dumped Tim in the middle of No-Where, Wisconsin. The Milwaukee metro area is huge, and it's spitting distance from Chicago. For all we know, a lackey for the Lambert family was in the area, saw Tim while grocery shopping, and immediately reported the sighting.”

“That's possible. It would explain why they were able to act on the information as quickly as they did,” Fisher said.

“What about who I was with in Milwaukee? Do the Lambert's have any idea of where I was working, who I was hanging out with, etc?” Tim pressed.

“If they know, our sources haven't heard about it,” Rocco spoke up when Fisher gave Tim a helpless look. “McGee, the Lambert's had people in Milwaukee County before we even found out they knew about you being alive. We have no idea how much information they actually have about you at the moment.”

“Which, admittedly, means it's a Godsend you decided to hightail your ass back here. They've probably already tossed the house we placed you in,” Fisher sighed.

Tim gave Fisher a mild look of pity. The on-going investigation against the O'Shea's and the Lambert's hasn't been an easy one, from what Tim heard, and having Tim's head back on the chopping block wasn't helping.

“Adrian,” Tim said, using Fisher's first name to make sure the man was paying attention. “We're finally face-to-face again. So I'm going to ask one last time before I give up. Is there anything you need my help with at the moment?”

“Stay alive?” Fisher replied with a weary laugh. “I'm not lacking in manpower right now, McGee. What I need is a goddamn _break_. We're getting hit with obstacles one right after the other. I need you to stay alive so you can help me nail these sons-of-bitches once we bring everything to court.”

“Okay, fine. I can do that. But to do that, I need my _life_ back. First thing in the morning, I'm heading over to the Yard,” Tim said, using a tone that made it clear he wasn't going to entertain any arguments to the contrary.

“At this point, as long as you don't get yourself killed, I don't care. Do what you want. Christian, go head down to the guys in Cyber and tell them to undo everything we did to throw McGee here into Witness Protection. He'll need to be considered alive if NCIS is going to reinstate him,” Fisher said. One of the agents from the table immediately got up and darted out the room, wasting no time as they booked it for the elevators. “Your death should be voided by the time you reach NCIS, McGee.”

“Thank you,” Tim said. He glanced over the white board on the off-chance he had any suggestions to give to the team, but he saw nothing he could comment on. “Are you keeping Alice here or is she to come along with me?”

“Agent Turner is my insurance policy to make sure you actually do stay alive,” Fisher said, turning to give Alice a smile. “Feel free to restrain McGee if he's about to do something stupid.”

“Of course!” Alice said with a grin of her own.

“And that is my cue to get the hell out of here,” Tim sighed, giving Alice a look.

“Please call at least once every 24 hours so I know you're alive. I'm sure we're going to be calling and texting each other far more frequently now that you're back, but I need some kind of time period to use as a grace period before I wonder what happened,” Fisher asked.

“Will do,” Tim replied. “Alice, come on.”

Tim nudged Alice out of the room before a reason was brought up to keep them there. He was anxious to finally be at the Yard again, and he wanted to get going so they could grab a motel room. He could practically taste the ugly orange paint.

* * *

“You'd think more people would be happy to see you,” Alice commented as she and Tim walked through the lobby to the elevators that would take them upstairs, to the Bull Pen.

“They're seeing a ghost, Alice. Give them time,” Tim said. He clenched his hands after hitting the elevator button to the floor they wanted. He watched the doors close in front of them and exhaled slowly. It felt like he had never left. Everything looked the same. Everything smelled the same. Everything sounded the same. The question, however, was would the team be the same?

The familiar ding Tim had missed so much signaled their arrival to the Bull Pen. Tim glanced at Alice, needing an anchor to settle his overwhelming emotions, and stepped forward. No one in the immediate area spared Tim and Alice a glance, which Tim was grateful for. He had frozen in his spot when he saw that all the desks in the MCRT area were empty. He had been hoping that everyone would be at their desks.

“Tim?” Alice asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“It's fine. They're probably out on a case,” Tim said. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and led the way down the walkway to the back stairwell up to the Director's office.

“I see what you mean about the walls being an eyesore,” Alice muttered as she followed Tim up the stairs.

“It's an acquired aesthetic,” Tim laughed.

The woman sitting at the secretary desk barely glanced up at Tim and Alice when they entered as she spoke on the phone. Tim and Alice remained silent so the woman could finish her job. As soon as the phone was back in its cradle, the woman was smiling at Tim and Alice in greeting.

“Good morning! How can I help you?”

“I know it's a long shot, given how busy his schedule can be, but I'm hopeful!” Tim started. “Is Director Vance still in his office?”

“Yes, he is. He doesn't have any meetings scheduled at the moment, as far as I know. Would you like me to pop in and see if he can squeeze you in right away?” the woman asked.

“Not necessary. You'll understand in a moment,” Tim said. He threw Alice a grin and strode for the office door. He heard Alice offer a quick apology to the secretary before chasing after him.

“I normally don't take meetings at the last moment,” Vance said. He didn't look up from the paperwork he was reading once he registered that the person opening his door wasn't his secretary.

“Call me crazy, but I think you'll make an exception for me this one time,” Tim said.

Vance dropped the paperwork and looked up in shock when Tim's voice entered his ears. Vance remained silent for several moments, looking at Tim with wide eyes, before standing up fast enough to cause his chair to slam into the cabinets behind him.

“Tim McGee!” Vance exclaimed in surprise as he walked around his desk. Tim grinned and held out a hand to shake Vance's, but his hand was batted aside and he was pulled into a hug by Vance. Vance pulled away before Tim could react. “You're alive! Dear god, you're alive!”

“Yeah. That tends to happen when the FBI intervenes to stop a hit taken out on your head,” Tim said in a conversational tone, using the opportunity to explain the situation before Vance started asking questions.

“You need to explain everything _now_ ,” Vance insisted, using his 'I am your boss and you will listen to me' voice.

“It's a long story. You've got time?” Tim asked.

“I'll _make_ time. We need to give HR time to draw up temporary credentials so you can walk around while your regular ones are re-printed, don't we? My ass I'm letting the FBI keep you,” Vance insisted.

Tim gave Alice an 'I told you so' look, earning an eye roll in response, and ushered her to sit down in one of the chairs in front of Vance's desk as the Director returned to his own seat.

“You read my mind about wanting my badge back, Director. Now, where to begin...”

* * *

Tim checked his phone the moment he and Alice got out of the car to see if Jade sent him another text.

“Are they finally in yet?” Alice asked. “I'm sure they're excited to finally be in DC. Having to stop overnight in Baltimore because the driver got a stomach bug must not have been fun.”

“Yeah, they're here,” Tim confirmed, reading the text. He shoved it back into his pocket instead of answering, though, and looked around to see where the crime scene was. “Let's wait a little bit longer before telling them that we are _also_ here.”

“Agreed,” Alice sighed, following Tim as he led the way out into the field. “Does your team even know we're coming?”

“Vance said he'd have someone call ahead to say they're being assigned a TAD, but I don't think he told the person to pass along a name,” Tim chuckled.

An unknown face was the first one to greet Tim and Alice when they arrived at the scene. Tim glanced past the man to see a group of very familiar people surrounding a body, but none of them glanced in his direction.

“You must be our TAD!” the man said. “I'm Special Agent Peter Harrison. Go ahead and call me Peter. Did anyone back at the Yard fill you in on the details?”

“Sorta. I told them I'd get a better update once we arrived,” Tim replied. “You know, my partner here is actually FBI. She's being borrowed at the moment. Think you could give her a low-down of where everything is in the truck while I go check in with Special Agent Gibbs?”

“Not a problem!” Agent Harrison replied. Alice patted Tim on the arm, giving him a small smile, and followed Harrison to the truck.

Tim stood there by himself to give himself the chance to look over his team. Well, they weren't quite a team anymore. Vance explained Tony's decision to take over Cold Crimes, but Tim didn't care. Everyone he was looked at was _his_ team. People he never thought he'd see again. Blinking rapidly to stop himself from crying, Tim began walking to the group.

“I'm telling you, Gibbs, this new body of yours has all the hallmarks of the cold case my team is currently working on,” Tony insisted.

“Let Ducky and Palmer finish looking over the body, would yah?” Gibbs chided. His hand twitched from an obvious desire to smack Tony upside the head, but he kept his hand by his side.

“It doesn't make sense, though,” Ziva said. “A lot of the evidence we have collected so far from the other bodies doesn't match evidence in your cold case. Are you claiming we have a sloppy copy cat?”

“If the shoe fits!” Tony exclaimed.

“You think another set of eyes will help you figure it out?” Tim spoke up.

The entire group went silent when they registered the voice they were hearing, turning to look at Tim with a variety of expressions. A smile grew on Tim's face as he waited for one of them to react, but after a few more moments it became clear that none of them were willing to break the silence. Chuckling, Tim turned his focus to Tony.

“You said you think it's a copy cat?” Tim asked.

“Tim!” Tony yelled, the first to break his stupor and rush forward to pull Tim into a hug. Tim laughed again and returned the hug. A second later, several versions of Tim's name were echoed by the others and Tim felt Ziva suddenly start hugging him from behind. Tim pulled away from Tony so he could turn around and give Ziva a proper hug, only to be dragged into a group hug when Jimmy also rushed forward to join Tony and Ziva.

“How?!” Tony demanded as he, Ziva, and Jimmy finally took a step back to give Tim room to breathe.

“Nutshell version since we _are_ at a crime scene, the FBI had to toss me into Witness Protection. I'm out now,” Tim said.

“You went into Witness Protection? For what?!” Jimmy asked.

“Gibbs, remember that case I worked with the FBI on a month before I left?” Tim asked, turning to look at Gibbs. The other man nodded, remembering it quite clearly. He had to sign off on Tim missing coming in to work so he could go assist at the Hoover Building. “The Lambert Family, an ally of the O'Shea's, found out about me helping the FBI during the raid. They put a hit on my head.”

“Is it off?” Gibbs asked as Tony let out a low whistle.

“No. But they found out I was still alive and where I was. I didn't want to be moved yet again, so I told the FBI to drop the protection,” Tim said.

“Are you saying that there's a very good chance that we'll be attending your second funeral sooner rather than later?” Tony asked, giving Tim an incredulous look.

“Sorry?” Tim said slowly, not sure if he should attempt to console the others or not. He'd been back home less than 24 hours. He needed to catch up with them.

“Be that as it may, it is wonderful to see you again, Timothy,” Ducky spoke up, interrupting the others' interrogation session. “Now, as young Timothy said, we _are_ at a crime scene at the moment. I hate to break this up, but we can continue this discussion later.”

“Yes, we are at work. And we would most certainly welcome another set of eyes, Tim,” Ziva said, joining Ducky in getting the group back on task. However, she gave Tim a wide smile to show how happy she was to see him.

“Where do you want me to...” Tim began to ask where to start, but his phone began blaring the theme to the Twilight Zone. Without thinking, Tim immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Sorry, guys, I need to take this.” Ignoring the confused looks the others gave him, Tim walked a handful of feet away to get a minor sense of privacy as he answered the call. “Jade! What's up?”

“Don't you dare 'Jade, what's up' me right now, Timothy. You're in DC!” Jade hissed. “Why are you in DC?!”

“Kate is ever the snitch,” Tim muttered.

“Damn straight Kate told me! Now answer my question! Why are you in DC? You have a hit on your head! People in DC want to kill you!” Jade ranted.

Tim sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He had hoped to make the merger of his two lives a smooth process, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. Shit was going to hit the fan if he didn't explain things to Jade and the others soon.

“Jade, my cover got blown,” Tim said calmly to encourage Jade to calm down.

“What?!” Jade shrieked. Tim could hear one of the others start to ask Jade questions in the background, but she hissed at them to leave her alone for a minute. “You have got to be kidding me. You're put back in danger, and you decide to run towards it instead of away from it?”

“That's my job, Jade, or did you forget that my real job is federal law enforcement?” Tim asked. Jade let out a whine at the reminder, making it clear that she had _not_ forgotten that detail.

“Tim, this is crazy. You are being crazy right now,” Jade insisted.

“Jade, they knew I was in Milwaukee. They had people _in_ Milwaukee before the FBI got notified by their sources that my cover was blown. If I hadn't hauled ass back to DC, I'd probably already be dead,” Tim explained.

“Okay, fine. Coming back to DC was a better idea than staying back in Milwaukee,” Jade admitted, taking a deep breath. Tim could hear her take a few more breaths before she continued in a more relaxed tone. “Where are you? Are you safe?”

“I'm at a crime scene at the moment. Agent Fisher didn't argue with me being 'brought back to life', so I swung by NCIS this morning to see about being reinstated. I'm with my old team right now,” Tim said. He looked up to see what said-team was doing, and they all had returned to work without paying any obvious attention to Tim being on his phone.

“Workaholic,” Jade muttered.

“Wouldn't be me if I wasn't,” Tim said.

“Of course,” Jade sighed before pausing a moment. “Tim, I'm not comfortable explaining all of this to the others without you here. I'd much prefer it if you explained it to them, yourself. Is there any possibility of you coming to our hotel at some point today?”

“Later, after dinner. Alice and I were figuring out when to let you all know that we're here, actually,” Tim replied.

“Wait, Alice is here, too?” Jade asked, surprised.

“Yes. My unofficial bodyguard,” Tim snorted.

“This is just getting better and better,” Jade said. Tim let out a noise of understanding. He was taking everything in stride because he really didn't have any other choice. Everyone else around him, however, was in for a rough experience.

“I really should get going because I'm at work at the moment, but I promise I'll explain everything tonight. That sound good?” Tim asked.

“I'll take what I can get,” Jade said.

“Alright. I will call you when Alice and I are done for the day. Talk to you later, Jade,” Tim said.

“Later, Tim,” Jade said.

Tim hung up before either of them could find something more to say and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He jumped when he realized that Alice had appeared next to him some time during his phone call and gave her a bitch face when she started laughing.

“I take it they know we're here now?” Alice asked through her laughter.

“Jade knows. She's not going to tell the others until we see them later tonight. Which is going to be annoying to plan because I'm sure my entire team is going to drop all their evening plans and demand I go a get-together with them to catch up and explain everything to _them_ ,” Tim said. He groaned about the rut he had gotten himself into.

“Tim, I know your gut reaction is going to be to say no, but perhaps we should get it all done at once and have _everyone_ meet up together,” Alice suggested.

“You're right. I am saying no because no way in hell am I going to have that many people giving me shit all at once,” Tim immediately replied. He shuddered at the thought of having Tony, Ziva, Alice, Jade, and Edmund in one room together. His pride wouldn't survive the encounter.

“There's nothing I can do about everyone ganging up on you and picking on you until you cry for mercy, but come on,” Alice said, letting out a few snickers. “You have to admit that it would be faster doing it that way.”

“I know you're right, but my self preservation is keeping me from approving the idea,” Tim cracked.

“Then don't say you approve. Just don't say you disapprove,” Alice suggested, a mischievous look growing on her face.

“The Lambert's aren't going to be the death of me,” Tim muttered. “You guys are.”

Alice burst into laughter as Tim let out a huff. He shook his head and started to head back to the group, prompting Alice to follow after him. It would be several hours until they needed to have their evening plans finalized. Until then, Tim was going to show Alice how things were done in NCIS.


End file.
